NASA Astronauts Stranded on ISS For Nine Months Set To Return Tuesday

Two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months, are finally set to return to Earth on Tuesday evening, NASA announced.

The duo, along with fellow NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will travel aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which docked at the ISS early Sunday.

Their scheduled splashdown off the Florida coast is set for 5:57 p.m. ET (2157 GMT) on Tuesday, moved up from the initial no-sooner-than-Wednesday timeline.

Wilmore and Williams’ extended stay resulted from propulsion issues on Boeing’s Starliner, the spacecraft they were testing on its first crewed mission.

Initially planned as a short roundtrip, their mission stretched far beyond the typical six-month ISS rotation, drawing public interest and sympathy.

While their nine-month stay is far from the record 371-day US spaceflight set by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio in 2023 or the 437-day world record held by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, the unexpected extension meant they needed extra supplies, including clothing and personal care items.

NASA stated the updated return schedule allows ISS crew members to complete handover duties while avoiding expected poor weather conditions later in the week. The return process, including hatch closure preparations, will be broadcast live starting Monday evening.