NASA Delays Return of Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from ISS Until Late March 2025 Due to New SpaceX Dragon for Crew-10 Mission, Extending Stay to Nearly 10 Months

Dec 17, 2024, 11:30 PM

NASA has announced a delay in the return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from the International Space Station (ISS), extending their mission until at least late March 2025. The astronauts, who initially planned for a short mission, have been on the ISS since June due to multiple issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. The delay is attributed to the need for more time to prepare a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for the upcoming Crew-10 mission, which will launch no earlier than late March 2025. This mission will carry NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi to the ISS. The extended stay means Wilmore and Williams will have been in space for nearly 10 months by the time they return, significantly longer than their originally planned week-long mission. The Crew-9 mission, which includes Wilmore, Williams, NASA astronaut Nick Hague, and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will only depart after a handover period with the arriving Crew-10.