NASA is preparing to bring astronauts Sunita Williams and Butchwillmore back to Earth earlier than expected after more than eight months on the International Space Station (ISS). The Space Agency considers March 19 as the new return date, rising about two weeks from the previously released timeline, according to the Daily Mail Report.
This change is tied to a shift in spaceship allocation for SpaceX’s Crew 10 mission. Although originally scheduled to be released in February, the Crew-10 faced a delay when technical issues occurred while the new Dragon Capsule SpaceX was scheduled to be used. This put the launch in March and postponed the return of Williams and Wilmore, which was estimated in early April.
Williams and Willmore are set to return to SpaceX Crew-9 capsules, which have been docked to the ISS since September 29th. However, under NASA protocols, crew-9 must remain at the station until crew-1 arrives. This ensures a structured handover period and explains that the departing team maintains operational continuity to the next crew.
By replacing the Dragon Capsules originally assigned to Crew 10, NASA aims to clear the previous launch path, along with Williams and Wilmore, allowing Crew-9 to return home earlier than expected.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are on the International Space Station (ISS) after technical concerns over Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft delayed their scheduled return. The duo was released on June 5, 2024 as part of the Starliner Crew flight test, marking the mission of the spacecraft’s first crew. However, their profits have been postponed multiple times due to problems with propulsion systems and helium leaks detected during flight.
Previously, Donald Trump has an existing plan to get SpaceX back in March, and two people claiming that NASA is “stuck” in space to make sure they’re not stuck. The astronauts called on Elon Musk’s SpaceX to retrieve two astronauts who they claim to be “stuck” in space.
Trump said he asked Mask and SpaceX to rescue “two brave astronauts who were effectively abandoned in space by the Biden administration.” He ended his message with “Good luck, Elon!!!”
