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Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams have returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule after a nine-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS) that was never part of the plan.
The pair had launched on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission. But a series of technical failures stranded them in orbit and forced NASA to abandon the idea of bringing them home on Starliner.
The mission began on June 5, 2024, with a launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Starliner successfully reached orbit, but problems started during docking the next day.
Five of its 28 thrusters failed, forcing Williams to take manual control to complete the docking. Engineers later found multiple helium leaks in the service module. The leaks and thruster failures raised concerns that the spacecraft might not survive the trip home with the crew on board.
NASA decided to bring Starliner back to Earth uncrewed in September 2024. It landed safely at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, where Boeing began extensive inspections and testing to understand the failures. Wilmore and Williams remained on the ISS, continuing research and supporting station operations while waiting for a safe ride home.
The delay added unexpected challenges. Prolonged stays in microgravity can cause muscle atrophy, bone loss, and other health issues. Williams has spoken about post-mission fatigue and difficulty moving after her return. Both astronauts are undergoing physical rehabilitation.
NASA arranged for their return on SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, and the two finally landed on Earth on March 18, 2025. The incident has prompted NASA and Boeing to reassess Starliner’s design and operational readiness. Engineers have since traced the propulsion problem to a heat-damaged Teflon seal and are working toward a possible crewed flight in late 2025 or early 2026.
The extended mission became an example of contingency planning in human spaceflight. While Starliner’s future remains uncertain, Wilmore and Williams’ safe return closed one of NASA’s most complex commercial crew challenges to date.
