Stranded NASA astronauts to return to Earth with Crew-9 during splashdown off Florida's coast | FOX 35 Orlando
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Stranded NASA astronauts to return to Earth with Crew-9 during splashdown off Florida's coast

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Updated  March 17, 2025 10:13am EDT
NASA
FOX 35 Orlando

Stranded NASA astronauts to return to Earth

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2024, are preparing to return home with Crew-9 after spending an unexpected, nine-month stay in space.

The Brief

    • Stranded NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are getting ready to return home to Earth with Crew-9 after an unexpected nine-month stay in space.
    • The astronauts, along with Crew-9's Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will board the Crew-9 SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, targeting March 18 for a splashdown off Florida's coast.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2024, are preparing to return home with Crew-9 after spending an unexpected, nine-month stay in space. 

Both astronauts, along with Crew-9's Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, are expected to board the Crew-9 SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and return to Earth this week.

When will Starliner and Crew-9 astronauts return?

What we know:

NASA and SpaceX met on Sunday to assess weather and splashdown conditions, and officials are now targeting a March 18 splashdown off Florida's coast, as favorable conditions are forecast for that time.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 members pose together for a portrait inside the vestibule between the International Space Station and the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft. Clockwise from left, are NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Suni Williams, and R

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What they're saying:

"The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week," NASA said in an online news release. 

Timeline:

FOX 35 News will provide live coverage of Crew-9's return from space. Here's a breakdown of what will happen and when:

Monday, March 17

  • 10:45 p.m.  – Coverage begins on the hatch closing

Tuesday, March 18:

  • 1:05 a.m.  – The undocking
  • 4:45 p.m. – NASA will begin coverage of the return to Earth
  • 5:11 p.m. – Deorbit burn (Timing could change)
  • 5:57 p.m. – The splashdown off Florida's coast (Timing could change)
  • 7:30 p.m. – NASA will hold a news conference following the return to Earth

Why were two astronauts stuck in space?

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived at the ISS in June 2024 aboard Boeing's Starliner CST-100 spacecraft during its first crewed test flight. However, after a series of technical issues with the spacecraft, NASA decided to send the Starliner back to Earth in September 2024 without the astronauts.

The Starliner crew flight was originally planned to last just over a week, but the astronauts have now been in orbit for nearly 10 months.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (L) and Suni Williams, wearing Boeing spacesuits, depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center for Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to board the

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The astronaut test pilots waited for their new ride back to Earth via SpaceX's Crew Dragon, which arrived with two astronauts from the Crew-9 mission in September 2024. Most missions to the ISS have four crew members, but NASA opted to leave two seats open for Wilmore and Williams on Crew-9. 

RELATED: Astronaut Suni Williams addresses health rumors from space

Then, they needed to wait for a replacement crew so the Crew-9 could depart, but the Crew-10 launch was delayed as SpaceX attempted to ready a brand-new Crew Dragon capsule. After delays, NASA and SpaceX opted to launch the four Crew-10 astronauts on a flight-proven Dragon named Endurance, which successfully launched from Florida on Friday evening. 

NASA scheduled an overlap between the crews to ensure a smooth transition before Wilmore and Williams depart.

How long have Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams been in space?

Timeline:

  • June 2024: Wilmore and Williams launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner for what was supposed to be a week-long mission.
  • Over summer 2024: Helium leaks and thruster failures prevented their return, prompting months of investigation.
  • September 2024: NASA ruled Starliner unsafe for crewed return and arranged for Wilmore and Williams to fly home on a SpaceX mission.
  • February 2025: Their scheduled return was delayed again due to battery issues with SpaceX’s new capsule.
  • March 2025: NASA switched to a used SpaceX capsule to expedite their homecoming, with launch occurring Friday night and arrival at the ISS late Saturday.

Crew-9: The mission

Hague and Gorbunov boarded a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket and launched to the ISS from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in September 2024, with the goal of spending five months at the orbiting laboratory conducting experiments, research demonstrations, and spacewalks to perform maintenance on the space station, according to NASA.

Expedition 72 Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov of Roscosmos waves goodbye to family members s commander Nick Hague (R) of NASA smiles before heading to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 28, 2024. NASA astronaut N

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The missions marked the ninth crew rotation mission of SpaceX’s human space transportation system and the tenth flight with astronauts, including the Demo-2 test flight, to the space station through NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

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The Source: This story was written based on information gathered from previous reporting, as well as information shared by NASA and SpaceX on its website and social media pages. FOX Weather also contributed to this report. 

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