The NASA astronauts who traveled on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft are heading back to Earth earlier than expected. Weather conditions off the coast of Florida, where the astronauts will land, made NASA and SpaceX decide to move up the mission’s return date.
What’s happening?
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov (part of Crew-9), are set to return sooner. They will board SpaceX’s Dragon capsule to leave the International Space Station (ISS) early Tuesday morning. They are expected to land Tuesday evening near Florida.
NASA originally planned for them to return on Wednesday, but due to better weather conditions, the schedule was changed.
What Happened to Boeing’s Starliner?
The return has been a long time coming for Wilmore and Williams. Back in June, they flew to the ISS on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. This was supposed to be Starliner’s first crewed mission. But things didn’t go as planned.
The spacecraft had many technical problems, and because of that, NASA sent it back to Earth without the astronauts, landing it autonomously in New Mexico in September.
While they waited, Wilmore and Williams joined SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission. They continued their work at the ISS, waiting for their replacements to arrive.
That happened just recently. On Saturday, four astronauts from Crew-10 arrived at the ISS, launched from Florida on Friday night. Now, with the new team there, Wilmore and Williams will finally return home after more than nine months in space.
When Will the Astronauts Return?
Here’s the schedule:
- Undocking Time:
Wilmore, Williams, Hague, and Gorbunov will board the SpaceX Dragon capsule to undock from the ISS at 1:05 a.m. EST on Tuesday. - Flight Duration:
The journey back to Earth will take about 17 hours. - Landing Time:
They are expected to land in the waters off Florida at around 5:57 p.m. EST on Tuesday.
How to Watch the Astronauts’ Return Live
Good news if you want to watch the whole process! NASA will stream the event live on its NASA+ streaming service.
Here’s the schedule:
- Undocking Livestream:
Starts at 12:45 a.m. EST Tuesday. - Landing Coverage:
Starts at 4:45 p.m. EST Tuesday, continuing through the spacecraft’s landing. - Post-Landing Press Conference:
Scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST Tuesday. NASA officials will talk about the mission. However, the astronauts won’t be part of this conference right away since they need some time to recover after returning.
Who Are the New Crew-10 Astronauts?
The arrival of the Crew-10 team is what finally allows the Crew-9 members (including the Starliner astronauts) to return home.
The Crew-10 team consists of:
- NASA astronaut Anne McClain (Commander)
- NASA pilot Nichole Ayers
- Takuya Onishi (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)
- Kirill Peskov (Roscosmos, Russia)
They launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. After separating from the rocket, their Dragon capsule — named Dragon Endurance — traveled to the ISS using its thrusters.
Now that they’ve arrived, the outgoing astronauts are helping Crew-10 settle in. This is called the “handover period.” Once Crew-9 departs, Crew-10 will officially begin their mission, staying at the ISS for around six months to conduct scientific experiments.
What’s Next for Boeing’s Starliner?
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft was supposed to be a key part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, alongside SpaceX. NASA pays both companies to transport astronauts and cargo to the ISS.
While SpaceX’s Dragon capsule has already become operational, Boeing’s Starliner is still facing challenges. Its first crewed test flight faced serious technical problems, and it still has some way to go before it can be fully certified and ready for regular missions.
Quick Summary:
- Wilmore and Williams, who traveled on Boeing’s Starliner, will return earlier than planned.
- They’ll leave the ISS aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule early Tuesday morning.
- The landing is expected near Florida on Tuesday evening.
- NASA will livestream the undocking and landing on NASA+.
- Crew-10 astronauts have arrived to take over operations at the ISS.
- Boeing Starliner still needs more testing before it becomes a regular crew transport vehicle.
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