International Space Station – NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore are preparing to return to Earth aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft after an extended mission on the International Space Station (ISS). Initially scheduled for a brief stay following their arrival in June 2024, the astronauts are now expected to return around March 19 or 20, 2025.
Awaiting Crew-10 Arrival
Before departing with the Crew-9 team, Williams and Wilmore must await the arrival of Crew-10, the next expedition to the ISS. The Crew-10 mission, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, is set for launch on March 12 at 7:48 p.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If successful, docking will take place at approximately 10 a.m. ET on March 13. Once the handover period is complete, Crew-9—including NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—will begin preparations for their return.
Challenges and Delays
The Starliner mission has faced multiple technical challenges since its inception. The spacecraft’s launch was delayed several times from its original May 6, 2024, target due to technical issues, including an oxygen leak and a helium leak in the capsule’s propulsion system. After finally launching on June 5, 2024, Starliner successfully docked at the ISS on June 6, but a helium leak developed that impacted control of its thrusters, which are essential for docking and maneuvering.
Despite these issues, NASA and Boeing have reassured the public that the astronauts are not “stranded” on the ISS. The station has ample resources to accommodate them, and a supply shipment on August 6 included fresh clothes and personal items for Williams and Wilmore.
The Future of Boeing Starliner
In October 2024, NASA announced that it would not proceed with a full crew rotation mission for Starliner in the late summer of 2025. The agency is waiting for Boeing to establish a clearer path to system certification before setting a timeline for the spacecraft’s next flight. NASA’s October 15, 2024, blog post stated, “The timing and configuration of Starliner’s next flight will be determined once a better understanding of Boeing’s path to system certification is established.”
NASA continues to explore options for achieving full certification, leaving the door open for a potential Starliner flight in 2025. As Williams and Wilmore prepare to return home, their mission serves as a crucial test for Starliner’s future as a reliable vehicle for crewed spaceflight.
