NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have been at the International Space Station for more than eight months, though they were initially waiting to stay for just eight days. But finally it’s time to come home. A relief crew for ISS is expected to launch from Kennedy and Florida Space Center on Wednesday evening, and Williams and Wilmore should be on their way home as early as March 16th.
The new crew going to the ISS consists of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, the Airspace Exploration Agency in Japan Astronaut Takuya onishi and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
Once they arrive, there will be a two-day delivery period, and then Williams, Wilmore, NASA Nick Hague and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Alexandr Gorbunov’s Roscosmos will be on their way to return to the ground.
On March 7, Williams returned the Iss Roscosmos Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin to the Iss Roscosmos cosmonaut as he prepares to return home.
‘We’re not stuck’
Williams told PBS Newshour recently that they do not feel abandoned by NASA.
“Of course, there are a lot of discussions about it, so maybe people can conceive that we are, but we’re not stuck,” she said. “We’re part of a bigger process, right?”
When asked about the practices of suddenly being in space much longer than expected, without additional supplies, Wilmore said it was not a problem.
“We started with less clothing, if you want, and that was intentional,” he said. “We brought some additional accessories to be – the space station needed. We brought it with ourselves. So we got some of our clothes. We would be just here a week or so.
“But we did. It wasn’t a big deal, frankly. The space station program plans for many occasions.
Wilmore told PBS that he is able to talk to his family from space, pointing out that he not only talks to his two daughters, but with the boyfriend of his youngest daughter.
“As the father of the girls, this is my responsibilities,” he said.
Read more: NASA’s first interactive flow of Twitch shows how much Astronauts love coffee
Record space space
Because their stay extended, Williams set a record. She went into a 5-hour, 26-minute space with Wilmore, and with that walk, exceeded the record set by a woman for the time spent in space. According to Space.com, Williams now has 62 hours and 6 minutes of free space, exceeding formerly Peggy Whitson, who had 60 hours and 21 minutes.
In this latest space, the two worked to eventually remove a wrong radio communication unit, one that astronauts in two previous space spaces were unable to remove.
Williams previously joined Astronaut Nick Hague for a space space on January 16th. In that space, Williams and The Hague replaced a Gyro Norm Assembly that helps maintain orbital orientation, NASA said. Astronauts also installed patches to cover damaged areas of light filters in the inner composition of the Neutron Explorer’s interior composition, replaced a reflector device in one of the international docking adapters, and controlled the input areas and connectors that astronauts would use for the next spectrum of alpha magnetic.
NASA astronaut Sunni Williams was seen outside the International Space Station during January 16, 2025, Spacewalk.
Who are the astronauts?
Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are veterans astronauts and are both marine officers and former test pilots. Williams has been an Astronaut of NASA since 1998, and Wilmore since 2000. Both have a lot of experience in space.
Williams is the former recorder of the record for most space spaces from a woman (seven) and most of the space for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes), and in 2007, she ran the first marathon from every person to space.
In 2009, Wilmore piloted the Atlantis spaceship in its mission to ISS, and in 2014, it was part of the ISS crew that used a 3D printer to produce a tool-a Ratchet grief in space, the first time people produced something outside the world.
What was their original mission in space?
Wilmore, as commander and Williams, as a pilot, traveled to the ISS in a 15 -meter wide capsule, made of Boeing, called Starliner. They started on June 5 and entered the ISS on June 6. NASA hopes that Starliner will give the organization a new way to get crews in and from ISS, and the fact that it is Boeing-Mate is another sign that NASA has begun to rely on the private sector for its human spatial options, reported the New York Times.
Wilmore and Williams mission had only had to last eight days, during which they would try aspects of Starliner and see how it works with a human crew in space. But due to Starliner complications, the two astronauts are still there.
Wilmore and Williams answering media questions again in March.
How did you get stuck in space in the first place?
Starliner was delayed in May due to a problem with a rocket valve. Then the engineers had to adjust a helium flow. This is all the bad news for Boeing. It is competing with Spacex, who has been transporting astronauts to ISS since 2020, making over 20 successful trips to the space station.
On June 5, Starliner finally started at the top of an Atlas V rocket, but some problems came along with the start. NASA announced that three Helium leaks were identified, one of which was known before the flight, and two new ones. In addition to leaks, the crew had to solve failed control problems, though the craft was able to successfully take with ISS.
Spacex also had failures. A falcon rocket 9 exploded in Launchpad in 2016. In July this year, a Falcon 9 rocket experienced a liquid oxygen leak and placed its satellites in the wrong orbit, the New York Times reported. Moreover, a Falcon 9 rocket at the end of August lost a first -phase booster when he collapsed in the Atlantic Ocean and set fire to.
But that said, Spacex has more than 300 successful flights Falcon 9 for her loan.
Stuck in space: a time limit
- May: Starliner’s departure was delayed due to a problem with a rocket valve, and then a helium leak.
- June 5: Starliner begins with Williams and Wilmore on board.
- June 6: Starliner is with the ISS despite dealing with three helium leaks and failed control stimulants.
- September 6: Starliner leaves the ISS and lands in New Mexico, leaving behind Williams and Wilmore.
- September 28: The Spacex Crew-9 mission releases with Hague and Gorbunov on a Dragoni spaceship.
- September 29: Dragon Spacex DOCKs with ISS.
- December 17: NASA announces the start of four crew members at ISS will be delayed from February to the end of March.
- March 12: New crew, Astronauts of NASA, Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Astronaut Astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov Air Research Agency is expected to launch in ISS.
- Approximately March 16: Spacecraft Spacex Dragon will return to Earth with Williams, Wilmore, Hague and Gorbunov.