After nine months aboard the ISS due to a failed Starliner mission, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore prepare for their long-awaited return to Earth.
March 16, 2025: 🚀 United States – After spending more than nine months stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are one step closer to returning home, thanks to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which successfully docked with the ISS at 0545 GMT on Sunday.
Crew Dragon Arrives, Astronauts Reunite
The arrival of the Crew-10 replacement team brought a moment of joy and relief for Williams and Wilmore, who embraced their new crew members in zero gravity—a moment broadcast live on NASA TV.
“It’s a wonderful day and great to see our friends arrive,” Williams said as she and Wilmore welcomed their replacements.
All the hugs. 🫶
— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) March 16, 2025
The hatch of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft opened March 16 at 1:35 a.m. ET and the members of Crew-10 entered the @Space_Station with the rest of their excited Expedition 72 crew. pic.twitter.com/mnUddqPqfr
NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared footage online, capturing Crew Dragon’s smooth approach to the ISS as it orbited Earth.
Stranded NASA astronauts thank Musk and Trump. pic.twitter.com/vszqdwoAfr
— The Researcher (@listen_2learn) March 15, 2025
Why Were Sunita Williams & Butch Wilmore Stranded?
🛰️ The Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which the pair were testing on its maiden crewed flight, experienced propulsion issues, rendering it unsafe for their return trip to Earth.
🚀 While the Starliner was successfully sent back to Earth without major issues, NASA decided to keep Wilmore and Williams aboard the ISS for safety reasons, turning what was supposed to be a few-day mission into a nine-month stay.
Also Read: 🚀 Sunita Williams’ ISS Mission: Spacewalks, Research, and a Record-Breaking Stay
📦 The extended stay meant that additional supplies, clothing, and personal care items had to be sent to them, as they had not packed for such a long mission.
Preparing for Return to Earth
Wilmore and Williams will now prepare for their return journey, scheduled no earlier than March 19. They will splash down off the Florida coast aboard the returning SpaceX Dragon capsule, alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Meet the Replacement Crew
🚀 The Crew-10 mission, which lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on Friday, includes:
✅ Anne McClain (NASA, US)
✅ Nichole Ayers (NASA, US)
✅ Takuya Onishi (JAXA, Japan)
✅ Kirill Peskov (Roscosmos, Russia)
The team will conduct multiple scientific experiments, including:
🔬 Flammability tests for future spacecraft designs
🔬 Studying the effects of space on the human body
A Long But Not Record-Breaking Stay
Although Williams and Wilmore’s unexpected nine-month stint is significantly longer than a standard six-month ISS rotation, it does not break records:
🏆 Longest US Space Stay: NASA’s Frank Rubio spent 371 days aboard the ISS in 2023.
🏆 World Record: Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov holds the record with 437 consecutive days on Mir Space Station.
What’s Next?
As Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore prepare to return home, their journey underscores the risks of space exploration, highlighting the need for reliable crewed spacecraft in future missions. With SpaceX Crew Dragon stepping in to assist, their mission is set to end safely, paving the way for new research aboard the ISS.
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Sunita Williams return, ISS mission, SpaceX Crew Dragon, NASA astronauts stranded, Butch Wilmore ISS, Boeing Starliner failure, Crew-10 mission, NASA spaceflight, SpaceX rescue mission, ISS scientific experiments