NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore should have been back on Earth nine months ago. Instead, they’ve been orbiting the planet aboard the International Space Station (ISS), waiting for a ride home. What was supposed to be an eight-day mission in June 2024 turned into an extended stay due to critical technical failures with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Now, NASA has confirmed that they will not return before March 19, 2025.
Their return hinges on the successful launch and docking of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which will bring four astronauts to the ISS to replace Williams and Wilmore. The mission has faced repeated delays, primarily due to poor weather conditions and a last-minute technical issue with the Falcon 9 rocket.
Delays, Technical Issues, and Uncertain Timelines
The SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which will bring NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA’s Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos’ Kirill Peskov to the ISS, has been postponed multiple times. Initially scheduled to launch earlier, the mission was delayed by strong winds and heavy precipitation along the flight path. Then, just hours before a rescheduled launch, engineers detected a critical hydraulic system issue in the ground support clam arm of the Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A.
NASA now says Crew-10 is targeting a launch at 7:03 p.m. EDT on March 14, 2025. The weather forecast is promising, with a greater-than-95% chance of acceptable conditions for that window. But if it slips to March 15 or 16, there’s a 50-60% chance that conditions won’t be favourable, raising the possibility of further delays.
Once Crew-10 arrives on March 15, they will spend a few days adjusting before officially taking over ISS operations. Only then can Williams and Wilmore begin preparations for their return to Earth.
From an Eight-Day Mission to a Nine-Month Struggle
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner on June 5, 2024, as part of NASA’s commercial crew programme. Their mission was intended to last just over a week. But Starliner’s thruster system suffered a critical malfunction, leaving them unable to return as planned. This was a significant blow to Boeing’s already troubled space programme, which has faced repeated technical issues and delays.
Since then, multiple attempts to bring them back have been pushed back due to a combination of technical problems, mission scheduling conflicts, and poor weather conditions. While Williams and Wilmore have remained in good spirits and contributed to ongoing scientific research aboard the ISS, their extended stay highlights the risks and unpredictability of human spaceflight
NASA’s Commitment to Safety and Precision
NASA and SpaceX have emphasised that the delays are necessary to ensure astronaut safety. Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, praised the teams working on the mission, saying, “I am extremely proud of our NASA and SpaceX ground engineers and joint operations teams in quickly identifying and resolving issues. Their commitment to both excellence and safety is a true testament to the strength of this integrated team.”
NASA has also confirmed that the return of Williams and Wilmore will depend not only on Crew-10’s successful arrival but also on weather conditions at the splashdown sites off the Florida coast. If conditions are not ideal, their return could be pushed back yet again.
The Cost of Spaceflight: Salary, Support, and Sacrifices
Being an astronaut isn’t just about the adventure—it’s a demanding profession with financial and personal implications. Sunita Williams, a seasoned astronaut with two prior spaceflights, is classified under the GS-15 pay grade within the US government’s General Schedule (GS) pay scale. This places her estimated salary at around $152,258 per year (approximately INR 1.26 crore).
In addition to their salaries, NASA astronauts receive benefits such as housing allowances, preferential car loan options, and comprehensive health insurance. These perks, while valuable, hardly compensate for the sacrifices astronauts make—months or even years away from family, the physical toll of microgravity, and the ever-present risks of space travel.
A Cautionary Tale for Future Space Missions
Williams and Wilmore’s prolonged stay in space is more than just an inconvenience—it’s a stark reminder of the complexities and potential dangers of human space exploration. Boeing’s Starliner issues have cast a shadow over the company’s role in NASA’s commercial crew programme, raising concerns about its reliability for future missions.
Despite the setbacks, the astronauts’ extended mission has provided valuable data on long-duration spaceflight, helping scientists better understand the effects of extended microgravity exposure on the human body. But for now, the focus remains on bringing them home safely.
If all goes well, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will finally return to Earth next week, ending one of the longest unintended space missions in history. But as NASA and SpaceX prepare for their journey back, one thing remains clear: space travel is as unpredictable as it is extraordinary.
