After more than nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are preparing to return to Earth.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully docked with the ISS, bringing new crews and paving the way for the return of the two astronauts, who had remained on the station far longer than their originally planned eight-day mission due to technical issues with the spacecraft that brought them to space.

Wilmore and Williams are expected to return within the week, though scheduling depends on weather conditions on Earth, according to Dana Weigel, ISS program manager: “The weather always has to be on our side, so if conditions aren’t favorable, we’ll wait,” she noted.

Preparations for the crew change have already begun, with a two-day transition period in which the departing astronauts will brief their replacements—four new astronauts from the US, Russia, and Japan.

An unexpected extended stay in space

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the ISS in June 2024 to test Boeing’s new Starliner spacecraft, which was intended to compete with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. However, a series of technical issues—such as thruster malfunctions and helium leaks—raised serious concerns about the safety of their return.

NASA, determining that a return flight with Starliner was too risky, decided to bring them back with SpaceX’s spacecraft, aligning their return with the scheduled crew rotation.

Dr. Simeon Barber, a specialist at Open University, highlighted the personal toll of the delay: “When you leave for a business trip expecting it to last a week, you don’t anticipate it stretching to nearly a year. Their prolonged absence has certainly affected their personal lives.”

Political controversy over the delay

The extended stay of the two astronauts on the ISS also sparked political debate in the US.

In a joint interview with Fox News, former President Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claimed that the astronauts were abandoned in space for political reasons.

Trump stated: “They were supposed to stay eight days. They’ve been there nearly 300. Only one word is needed: Biden.”

Elon Musk also suggested that NASA’s delay was politically motivated, a claim the US space agency strongly denied.

Steve Stich, head of NASA’s commercial space program, dismissed the accusations, emphasizing that all decisions were made with astronaut safety as the top priority. “We explored many alternatives, and returning them with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon was the safest option,” he said.

A setback for Boeing – The failure of Starliner

NASA’s decision not to use Starliner for the astronauts’ return is a major setback for Boeing, which had invested enormous resources in the spacecraft’s development.

“It’s not a good look for Boeing that the astronauts it sent to space are returning with a SpaceX vehicle,” commented Dr. Barber, noting that this situation will negatively impact the company’s reputation in the space industry.

Countdown to return

With preparations in the final stages, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are expected to return to Earth in the coming days, weather permitting.

Despite the delays and mission disruptions, NASA maintains that astronaut safety has always been its top priority.

“We look forward to seeing them return to Earth safe and sound,” said Dr. Libby Jackson, head of space missions at the Science Museum in London.