NASA Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Stay in Space Until March 2025 Due to Starliner Issues and Crew-10 Delay

Dec 18, 2024, 12:19 AM

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were initially scheduled for an eight-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, will now remain in space until at least the end of March 2025. The delay stems from issues with the Starliner, which experienced helium leaks and propulsion system problems, leading NASA to send the spacecraft back to Earth without the astronauts in September. The astronauts' return was further postponed due to the delay in launching their replacements, the SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which is now scheduled for no earlier than late March 2025. This extended stay will mark a total of nearly nine months in space for Wilmore and Williams, significantly longer than their planned duration. They launched on June 5, 2024, and were supposed to return with the Crew-9 mission, alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.