A SpaceX rocket carrying a fresh crew has launched toward the International Space Station (ISS), paving the way for the long-awaited return of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
Initially scheduled to stay aboard the ISS for just eight days, Wilmore and Williams have now spent over nine months in space due to technical issues with the Boeing-built Starliner spacecraft they arrived on. Their return is set to begin two days after the arrival of the new crew, though weather conditions could cause slight delays, according to ISS program manager Dana Weigel.
"Butch and Suni have done an outstanding job, and we’re eager to bring them home," said Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
The departing astronauts, along with NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will hand over operations to a new team consisting of astronauts from Russia, Japan, and the U.S. The transition has already begun, with Wilmore ceremonially passing command to cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin last week.
Wilmore and Williams arrived at the ISS in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner, an experimental spacecraft intended to rival SpaceX’s Dragon capsule. However, persistent technical problems—including thruster malfunctions and helium leaks—prevented NASA from approving the spacecraft for a safe return.
Rather than risking their return aboard Starliner, NASA opted to bring them back on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule during a scheduled crew rotation. Boeing maintains that Starliner could have safely returned the astronauts earlier, a decision that has sparked controversy.
Dr. Simeon Barber of the Open University noted that while the astronauts remained in good spirits, their extended stay likely had personal consequences. “A mission expected to last a week stretching into nearly a year is a major disruption to their lives and families,” he said.
The delay has also drawn political attention, with former President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk alleging that NASA’s handling of the situation was influenced by politics. Trump suggested the astronauts had been "left in space," while Musk claimed their extended stay was a result of “political reasons.”
NASA has firmly denied these claims. "We explored every option and determined that the best course of action was to return them on Dragon," said Steve Stich.
Dr. Libby Jackson, head of space at the Science Museum in London, defended NASA’s decision, emphasizing that astronaut safety was the top priority. “NASA made the right call based on technical and programmatic factors,” she said.
As Wilmore and Williams prepare to return, their mission underscores both the challenges of human spaceflight and the ongoing rivalry between Boeing and SpaceX in the race for commercial space transportation.
Source: BBC
BDST: 1223 HRS, MAR 15, 2025
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