What was supposed to be a routine mission for NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore has turned into an extended stay in space.
Initially scheduled for just eight days on the International Space Station (ISS), the pair has now been stuck there for over nine months due to a malfunction in Boeing’s Starliner capsule—the spacecraft that brought them to orbit.
Despite multiple plans to bring them back, unexpected delays keep piling up.
Launch Scrubbed Again Due to Technical and Weather Issues
The latest effort to return Williams and Wilmore to Earth was thwarted yet again.
NASA had planned a launch Wednesday night that would pave the way for their return, but technical issues with the Falcon 9 rocket forced a last-minute cancellation.
SpaceX, which has been tasked with bringing the astronauts back, then had to push back the next launch attempt due to strong winds in Florida.
If all goes well, the next attempt is now set for Friday at 7:03 p.m. ET, with a projected return to Earth on March 19.
Political Tensions and Delayed Decisions
Complicating the situation further, Elon Musk has claimed that he offered to bring Williams and Wilmore home eight months ago, but the Biden administration allegedly rejected the idea because it would have made former President Donald Trump ‘look good’ ahead of the 2024 election.
Musk, who openly supported Trump’s campaign, suggested that political motivations played a role in delaying the astronauts’ return.
NASA’s associate administrator for Space Operations, Ken Bowersox, acknowledged in a press briefing that there might have been political discussions regarding the mission’s timing, though he was not personally involved.
Meanwhile, NASA has been balancing budget constraints and mission priorities while working on a safe return plan.
The Role of SpaceX and Boeing’s Starliner Issues
Williams and Wilmore were part of the first crewed test flight for Boeing’s Starliner capsule, a project funded with a $4.5 billion NASA contract to compete with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
However, Starliner experienced propulsion issues that made it too risky for a return trip, forcing NASA to rely on SpaceX instead.
A SpaceX capsule has been docked at the ISS since September, waiting for the right time to bring the astronauts home.
Bill Gerstenmaier, a vice president at SpaceX, stated that the delay allowed NASA to make good use of Williams and Wilmore by keeping them engaged in scientific research aboard the station.
While a quicker return was considered, NASA ultimately decided against it due to budget concerns and the need to maintain staffing levels for ongoing ISS operations.
What’s Next?
As NASA and SpaceX continue to work through the challenges, the astronauts’ return hinges on weather conditions and final technical checks.
When the next crew—Japan’s Takuya Onishi, Russia’s Kirill Peskov, and NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers—arrives, Williams and Wilmore, along with two other astronauts, will board the waiting SpaceX capsule for their long-overdue journey home.
For now, they remain patient, embracing their unexpected extended mission with resilience and professionalism.