1 week turned into 9 months: Why it took so long to bring back Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore

Barry Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams

NASA astronauts Barry Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are finally on their way back to Earth, after being stuck in space for 286 days.

Williams and Wilmore departed the International Space Station (ISS) early on Tuesday morning. They are expected to splash down off the coast of Florida after a journey of 17 hours.

Williams and Wilmore set off for an eight-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Boeing Starliner in June last year. However, technical issues turned a short trip into a prolonged test of patience, resilience, and problem-solving.

Here’s a look at the timeline of their stay in space

The Boeing’s Starliner was launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 5 this year. They were set to return on June 14. There were multiple system helium leaks and thruster problems during docking with the space station.

In August 2024, NASA announced the Starliner will return uncrewed, and astronauts will return in a different spacecraft in 2025.

In August 2024, the astronauts celebrated Thanksgiving on board the ISS. In an interview with NBC Nightly News, Sunita Williams said, “People are worried about us—really, don’t worry about us. We’re feeling good, working out, eating right. We have a lot of fun up here, too.”

The Starliner eventually landed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico—but without its crew. NASA decided to keep Wilmore and Williams aboard the ISS and align their return with the next crew rotation, NASA Crew-9, in September 2024. This mission was launched with only two astronauts, Hague and Gorbunov, instead of the usual four. Wilmore and Williams then officially became part of the Crew-9 team, staying aboard the ISS for a full six-month mission.

Their long-awaited return was finally set in motion when Crew-10 lifted off, carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, along with JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.

The crew launched aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, successfully docking with the ISS. Their arrival cleared the way for Wilmore, Williams, and two other astronauts to finally make their journey back to Earth.

Homecoming of Wilmore and Williams

The SpaceX Crew Dragon carrying Wilmore and Williams undocked from the ISS at 1.05 am ET (05.05 GMT) on Tuesday. It is expected to splash into the Atlantic Ocean just before 6 pm ET (22.00 GMT).

Late on Monday night, the process for Williams and Wilmore to return started. Hatch closure preparations began at 10.45pm ET (02.45 GMT), according to reports.

Following a 27-minute free fall, the spacecraft will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, and the final 12 minutes descent will begin. As it approaches the surface, parachutes will help the spacecraft slow down its speed, guiding it to a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, near the Florida Panhandle.

As per the Indian Standard Time, the splashdown would take place on March 19 at around 3.27 am.

Adjusting to Earth

Wilmore and Williams may experience muscle and bone loss, vision changes, and skin sensitivity as their bodies adapt to life back on solid ground. Balance disruption may also be an issue they would have to face.

Beyond the physical effects, they may also have to navigate the mental and emotional shifts that come with transitioning from space back to everyday life on Earth.