NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have been on the International Space Station for more than eight months, although they were initially expected to stay for only eight days. It’s finally time to go home and their replacements are on the way.
After two days of delay, a rescue worker from ISS launched Friday, the first time due to the hydraulic system issuance and with ground-supported clamp arms for SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket, the second time due to weather. But on Friday, at 7:03 PM ET, CREW-10, composed of NASA astronauts, Japan Aerospace Exploration Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, astronauts Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, successfully launched a journey to ISS.
Read more:
NASA CREW-10 astronauts launch ISS on SpaceX Rocket
Upon arrival, there will be a two-day exchange period, and then Williams, Wilmore, NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut aleksandr gorbunov will return to Earth. They may have been able to return as early as March 19.
On March 7, Williams handed over the ISS’s order to Roscosmos astronaut Alexey Ovchinin as he was about to return home.
‘We don’t get stuck’
Williams recently told PBS Newshour that they will not be abandoned by NASA.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of discussion about this, so maybe one can imagine that’s our way, but we’re not stuck,” she said. “We’re part of a bigger process, right?”
Asked about the sudden practicality in space much longer than expected without additional supply, Willmore said it wasn’t a problem.
“We did wear fewer clothes to launch if you want, and that was intentional,” he said. “We came up with some extra gear needed – the space station needed. We lifted it up. So we took some clothes off. We’ll only be around here for a week or so.”
“But we did it. Honestly, it’s no big deal. The space station plans multiple accidents. We stockpile food to a minimum of four months outside of the day at least beyond expectations. Some people – most of the time, food and other amenities, wet wipes, wet wipes, everything you need.”
Wilmore told PBS that he could talk to his family from space, noting that he talked not only with his two daughters, but with his youngest daughter’s boyfriend.
He said: “As a father of my daughter, that’s my responsibility.”
Read more: NASA’s first interactive twitch stream shows how many astronauts like coffee
Recording space walks
Williams set a record as their accommodation was extended. She had a five-hour, 26-minute space trip with Wilmore, and with it, she surpassed the record set by a woman to spend time walking on space. According to Space.com, Williams now has a 62-hour and 6-minute space walk, surpassing former astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has 60-hour and 21-minutes.
In the recent spacewalk, both ended up working to remove a faulty radio communication unit, an astronaut who could not be deleted on two previous spacewalks.
NASA said Williams had previously worked with astronaut Nick Hague on Space Road on January 16 with astronauts. The astronauts also installed patches to cover damaged light filter areas on the X-ray telescope of the neutron star internal composition explorer, replacing the reflector equipment of one of the international docking adapters, and the Astronauts will be used for future Alpha magnetometer maintenance.
On January 16, 2025, NASA astronaut Suni Williams was seen outside the International Space Station.
Who is the astronaut?
Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are senior astronauts, naval officers and former test pilots. Williams has been a NASA astronaut since 1998 and has had extensive space experience since 2000.
Williams is a woman (seven) record holder (seven) who is a woman (50 hours and 40 minutes) walking time in space, and in 2007 she participated in the first marathon through anyone in space.
In 2009, Wilmore flew the space shuttle Atlantis on his mission to the International Space Station (ISS), and in 2014 he was part of the ISS crew, using 3D printers to make tools in space (a ratchet wrench), where humans made some tools from isolated worlds for the first time.
What was their initial mission in space?
Wilmore served as commander, Williams, as a pilot, headed to the ISS with 15-foot-wide Boeing-made capsules called Starliner. NASA hopes Starliner will dock with ISS on June 5, the New York Times reported. NASA hopes the organization will have a new way to get crews to and from the International Space Station, the fact that its Boeing company is another signal that NASA has begun relying on the private sector human space flight program.
Wilmore and Williams’ ISS mission could have lasted eight days, during which time they will test all aspects of Starliner and see how it works with the human crew in space. But due to complications with Starliner, the two astronauts are still there.
Wilmore and Williams answered media questions last March.
How did they fall into space first?
The Starliner was postponed in May due to problems with valves in the rockets. The engineer then had to fix the helium leak. This is all bad news from Boeing. It competes with SpaceX, which has been transporting astronauts to the ISS since 2020 and successfully heading to the space station.
On June 5, Starliner finally launched some issues on Atlas V Rocket, but the launch event brought some issues. NASA announced that it has identified three helium leaks, one known before the flight, with two new ones. In addition to the leak, the crew must also troubleshoot the control thruster, although the process is able to successfully dock with the ISS.
SpaceX also failed. According to the New York Times, in July 2016, a Falcon 9 Rocket exploded. Additionally, the Falcon 9 Rockets lost their first phase booster when they poured into the Atlantic and caught fire in late August.
But that’s to say, SpaceX has over 300 successful Falcon 9 flights.
Stuck in Space: Timeline
- May: Due to problems with valves in the rocket, the launch of Starliner was delayed and helium was leaked.
- June 5: Starliner releases along with Williams and Wilmore.
- June 6: Starliner is on the ISS Pier Terminal despite handling three helium leaks and failed control thrusters.
- September 6: Starliner leaves ISS and lands in New Mexico, leaving Williams and Wilmore behind.
- September 28: SpaceX Crew-9 Mission launches on the Dragon Spacecraft along with Hague and Gorbunov.
- September 29: SpaceX Dragon Pier with ISS.
- December 17: NASA announced it will postpone the launch of four crew members from February to late March.
- March 12: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronauts Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, NASA astronauts, Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers were postponed for one day and then again.
- March 14: Crew-10 starts on their 28-hour journey to ISS. Once arrived, there will be a two-day exchange period. The terminal should be at 11:30 pm ET on March 15.
- March 19: SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is expected to leave ISS and return to Earth along with Williams, Wilmore, Hague and Gorbunov.
