NASA has announced plans to stream live the return of two astronauts “stranded” on the International Space Station for nine months.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who piloted Boeing's experimental Starliner spacecraft in June 2024, were supposed to be away from Earth for about eight days. After helium leaks and thruster malfunctions during the journey to the ISS, it returned to Earth uncrewed, leaving Williams and Wilmore with no capsule to ride in. They will complete their unintended 286-day mission by splashing down in a Dragon capsule off the Florida coast on Tuesday, March 18.
Although media coverage has latched onto the narrative that Williams and Wilmore were "stranded," NASA slotted them into the crew rotation schedule.
When To Watch ‘Stranded’ Astronauts Return On YouTube
NASA will provide live coverage of the SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth, beginning with the Dragon capsule departing the ISS to it splashing down off the Florida coast. Here's the schedule for NASA+ — the new name for NASA TV:
Monday, March 17: 10:45 p.m. EDT — Hatch closing.
Tuesday, March 18: 1:05 a.m. EDT — Undocking.
Tuesday, March 18: 5:57 p.m. EDT (approximate) — Splashdown.
Portraits of NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.NASA
Who Else Is In SpaceX Crew-9?
The tenth flight of the Dragon spacecraft to the ISS launched on Sept. 28, 2024, with just two astronauts instead of four. It took NASA’s Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov from Roscosmos to the ISS, essentially creating two spare seats for Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to fly home at the end of the planned six-month mission of Crew-9.
MORE FOR YOU
FBI Warns Chrome, Safari And Edge Users—Do Not Use These Websites
Lying In Wait On The Ground, Russia’s Best Attack Drones Devastate Ukrainian Convoys
NYT ‘Strands’ Today: Hints, Spangram And Answers For Monday, March 17th
Hague and Gorbunov will also return to Earth with Williams and Wilmore this week.
Why The Astronauts Were ‘Stranded’ In Space
After helium leaks and issues with Starliner's reaction control thrusters, NASA decided to bring it back without Williams and Wilmore. “Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing’s Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value and our North Star,” said then-NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “I’m grateful to both the NASA and Boeing teams for all their incredible and detailed work.”
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, carrying ... [+] four astronauts to the International Space Station as part of the Crew 10 mission. Anne McClain is the commander, Nichole Ayers is the pilot, Takuya Oniyi is a mission specialist, and Kiril Piskov from Russia is a mission specialist. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Rocket Launch To ‘Rescue’ Williams And Wilmore
A replacement crew arrived at the ISS on March 15 after launching from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket on March 14. The four astronauts — NASA's Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Kirill Peskov from Roscosmos — make up SpaceX Crew-10.
It took the tally of astronauts aboard the ISS to 11 for a few days as SpaceX Crew-9 prepared to leave.
“Congratulations to our NASA and SpaceX teams on the 10th crew rotation mission under our commercial crew partnership. This milestone demonstrates NASA’s continued commitment to advancing American leadership in space and driving growth in our national space economy,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “Through these missions, we are laying the foundation for future exploration, from low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. Our international crew will contribute to innovative science research and technology development, delivering benefits to all humanity.”
SpaceX Crew-10 is scheduled to return to Earth in July 2025.
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard, ... [+] approaches the International Space Station for an autonomous docking as it orbited 257 miles above the South Pacific Ocean.NASA
Will Boeing’s Starliner Fly Again?
Boeing's Starliner requires a successful test flight after proving unreliable during its journey to the ISS when piloted by Williams and Wilmore. NASA is yet to announce the timing of Starliner’s next flight. “Starliner is a very capable spacecraft and, ultimately, this comes down to needing a higher level of certainty to perform a crewed return,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.