NASA announced that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will return to Earth tomorrow evening aboard a SpaceX spacecraft.
American astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months, are finally returning to Earth. NASA stated that the two astronauts will be brought back tomorrow evening on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Wilmore and Williams had gone to the ISS in June to test Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. However, due to issues with the spacecraft’s propulsion system, the return journey was deemed unsafe, and the astronauts had to remain on the ISS.
THE RETURN JOURNEY WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW EVENING
NASA updated the astronauts’ planned landing time, announcing that they will land at sea off the coast of Florida at 23:57 local time (21:57 GMT) tomorrow evening. The landing, previously scheduled for Wednesday, was brought forward due to more favorable weather conditions.
In its statement, NASA noted that the return date was planned to ensure the completion of the mission handover process at the ISS, and to avoid the adverse weather conditions expected later in the weekend.
THE LONG MISSION IS COMING TO AN END
In addition to Wilmore and Williams, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will also return to Earth in the Crew Dragon capsule. The return journey will be broadcast live by NASA starting Monday evening.
While ISS missions typically last about 6 months, the extended stay of the two astronauts has drawn attention. However, it still falls short of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio’s 371-day record set in 2023 at the ISS. The longest time spent in space remains with Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 days in space.
UNEXPECTEDLY LONG MISSION DRAWS ATTENTION
Wilmore and Williams’ longer-than-planned stay in space has captured public attention. Extra clothing and personal care products were sent to the astronauts, who had been away from their families for an extended period.
Their return brings up safety concerns in space travel once again, while issues related to Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft have also come under scrutiny.