Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore will have to remain in space a little longer now. The two NASA astronauts will now remain in space until at least March 2025, nearly ten months after they first launched into orbit.
The two astronauts, who flew aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for the company’s first crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS), were initially scheduled to stay in space for about a week. However, due to delays in launching their replacements, their mission has been extended.
Williams and Wilmore, both test pilots, launched to the ISS on June 5, 2024. Their mission was supposed to last just eight days, but it was extended to eight months when NASA decided to send Boeing’s Starliner capsule back to Earth without any crew in September. The Starliner had faced multiple issues and needed additional time for repairs and testing.
Now, NASA has announced that their return to Earth will be delayed further, and they will not return until March or April 2025. The delay is due to the late launch of their replacement crew. Originally, the next mission was set to launch in February 2025, and Williams and Wilmore were supposed to return shortly after. However, SpaceX, which is responsible for sending the new crew, has requested more time to prepare its new capsule. As a result, the launch of the replacement crew has been postponed to late March 2025 at the earliest.
NASA considered using a different SpaceX capsule to transport the replacement crew and keep the schedule on track. However, the space agency decided it was better to wait for the new capsule to ensure the mission’s success. NASA officials prefer to have overlapping crews at the ISS to allow for a smoother transition when astronauts arrive and depart.