CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — On Tuesday, two NASA astronauts embarked on their journey back to Earth with SpaceX, concluding an extensive and unexpected mission that initially began with Boeing’s faltered test flight over nine months ago. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who had been residing on the International Space Station since last spring, said goodbye to their temporary home as they boarded a SpaceX capsule along with two fellow astronauts. The craft detached from the station in the early morning hours, targeting a splashdown near Florida’s coast by evening, contingent on favorable weather conditions.
Their stay on the station was initially meant to be brief, anticipating a return not long after their launch on Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule in early June. However, a series of technical issues necessitated returning the Starliner uncrewed, leading NASA to transfer Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX, extending their mission to February. Further delays were incurred due to complications with a SpaceX capsule.
With the arrival of their replacements on Sunday, Wilmore and Williams were finally cleared to depart. NASA proceeded quickly, opting for an earlier-than-planned departure to avoid adverse weather forecasts later in the week. They headed back with NASA’s Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, who arrived previously with two open seats designated for the original Starliner astronauts.
“Safe travels, we’ll miss you,” NASA’s Anne McClain communicated from the station as the capsule separated, soaring 260 miles above the Pacific.
The unique circumstances of their prolonged mission caught global attention, highlighting their predicament of being “stuck at work” in space. Although other astronauts have had longer missions in terms of duration, few have encountered such unpredictability or unexpected extensions like Wilmore and Williams did.
During their extended stay, the duo adapted from temporary visitors to engaged members of the core station team, undertaking experiments, repairing instruments, and joining in spacewalks. Williams set a remarkable record for the most hours spent spacewalking among women astronauts, amassing 62 hours over nine excursions.
Both seasoned space travelers, Wilmore and Williams were no strangers to the environment, having previously lived on the station. They refined their training and shifted seamlessly into duties, with Williams eventually ascending to station commander during their mission.
An unexpected twist came a few months into their mission. Amid political discussions, President Donald Trump urged SpaceX’s Elon Musk to expedite their return, attributing delays to the Biden administration. Despite the political backdrop, the astronauts remained focused and supportive of NASA’s decisions, never publicly assigning blame.
NASA’s choice to work with SpaceX and Boeing post-space shuttle was aimed at cultivating competitive US commercial options for ferrying astronauts until the International Space Station’s planned decommissioning in 2030. By then, NASA aims to transition to commercially operated stations, enhancing lunar and Mars explorations.
Both Wilmore, 62, and Williams, 59, with their military backgrounds, compared their extended space sojourn to lengthy deployments. Yet they acknowledged the personal strains of their long absence, with Wilmore missing pivotal moments in his younger daughter’s senior year, and Williams maintaining connections with family via space-based calls. Their anticipated reunion with loved ones awaits their safe return to Houston.
