NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) in June for what was initially intended to be an eight-day mission, are set to return home after being stranded for nine months. A rescue team launched to the ISS on Friday night, marking a crucial step towards their return, expected to occur late Saturday night.
The arrival of the relief crew is particularly timely, as NASA aims for an overlap with Wilmore and Williams to brief the newcomers on developments aboard the space station. Assuming all proceeds as planned, Wilmore and Williams are scheduled to undock next week and splash down off the coast of Florida, weather permitting.
The returning astronauts will be accompanied by members of the recent SpaceX crew, which includes NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers—both military pilots—as well as Japan’s Takuya Onishi and Russia’s Kirill Peskov, who are former airline pilots. The newcomers are slated for a six-month stay on the ISS, the standard duration for missions at the facility.
Originally, Wilmore and Williams were meant to journey aboard Boeing’s new Starliner capsule on June 5 for a brief assignment. However, technical issues, including helium leaks and thruster failures, led to an extensive investigation by NASA and Boeing. Subsequently, NASA deemed the return of Starliner unsafe and arranged for Wilmore and Williams to fly back aboard a SpaceX spacecraft originally scheduled for February. Delays due to battery repairs on a new capsule led SpaceX to opt for a used capsule, expediting the astronauts’ return to mid-March.
The lengthy duration of their mission gained political attention when President Trump, along with SpaceX’s Elon Musk, committed to hastening the astronauts’ return, attributing the delays to the previous administration. Despite the challenges, both Wilmore and Williams have supported NASA’s decisions during their tenure at the ISS, which included essential tasks such as fixing equipment, conducting experiments, and participating in spacewalks. Notably, Williams has set a record for women, achieving the highest total time spent spacewalking over a career with nine spacewalks.
Source : euronews
