Cliff Notes
- Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, originally scheduled for an eight-day mission, spent over nine months at the ISS due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner.
- The duo participated in various tasks aboard the station, including spacewalks and equipment maintenance, while expressing enjoyment of their extended stay.
- They are set to return to Earth via SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, with their homecoming potentially occurring a day earlier than initially planned due to favourable weather conditions.
Two astronauts stuck in space for more than nine months to head back to Earth | Science, Climate & Tech News
Two astronauts stuck in space for more than nine months are about to leave the International Space Station – and head back to Earth.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams blasted off to the ISS on 5 June, and were meant to be up there for just eight days.
They were testing out Boeing’s long-awaited Starliner, a ship designed to rival SpaceX’s Crew Dragon that is currently used to ferry astronauts into space.
But by the time they docked at the ISS, the Starliner had suffered major problems – with five helium leaks, five dead manoeuvring thrusters and a propellant valve that failed to close completely.
It returned to Earth without them, after it was decided the astronauts would be safer waiting in orbit.
Since then, the two US Navy veterans have completed spacewalks, experiments and even helped sort out the plumbing onboard.
The astronauts have repeatedly said they have enjoyed the mission, with Ms Williams describing the space station as her “happy place”.
“Every day is interesting because we’re up in space and it’s a lot of fun,” she said earlier this month, although she added the waiting was likely hard for family members on the ground.
