Two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, are nearing their return to Earth after spending nearly ten months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). They departed from the ISS with a crew of four on a SpaceX capsule, slated to land off the coast of Florida at approximately 8.57 am AEDT. Initially, Wilmore and Williams had anticipated a brief one-week stay following their launch on June 5 aboard Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule. However, a series of technical setbacks forced NASA to send the Starliner back unmanned and adapt their mission by assigning them to a SpaceX flight, ultimately delaying their return until February.
The recent arrival of a new crew to the ISS enabled Wilmore and Williams to depart. They said their goodbyes to their replacements, who had arrived earlier with two empty seats in their spacecraft, specifically reserved for Wilmore and Williams. NASA’s Anne McClain expressed her wishes for them during their exit as their capsule drifted away from the station.
This mission has been unprecedented in terms of duration and uncertainty, with both astronauts adapting from guests to vital crew members on the ISS, conducting numerous scientific experiments and even undertaking spacewalks. Notably, Williams has set a record for the most cumulative time spent on spacewalks by a female astronaut, totaling 62 hours across nine outings.
Both astronauts prior experience on the ISS helped ease their transition, and Williams took on the role of station commander three months into their stay, holding that position until recently. Despite their military backgrounds and experience, Wilmore and Williams noted the challenges posed by extended time away from their families. Wilmore missed significant moments in his daughters’ lives while Williams maintained contact through internet calls.
As they await reunion with their families on land, they will first need to be safely transferred from the SpaceX recovery vessel to Houston.