Former NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez joined the “American Editorial Office” to discuss the latest updates on the mission to bring astronauts back to Earth after their nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Two NASA astronauts, who have been in space for over nine months, are set to return to Earth after a new crew and two additional astronauts arrived at the ISS over the weekend. The Crew-10 team, aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, docked at the ISS on Sunday, where NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams have been stationed since their mission began in June 2024.
SpaceX Capsule Docking at the International Space Station on Sunday, March 16, 2025. (NASA)
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NASA Eyes Tuesday Homecoming for Crew-9, Including Wilmore and Williams
NASA has announced plans for Crew-9, which includes astronauts Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksanddr Gorbunov, to return to Earth on Tuesday evening alongside Wilmore and Williams. The agency is prioritizing this schedule to allow the ISS crew to complete handover tasks while avoiding unfavorable weather conditions later in the week.
Astronauts NASA Butch Wilmore (R) and Suni Williams, wearing Boeing spacesuits, leave the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center for Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 5, 2024, ahead of their mission to the ISS. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images)
Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched the Crew-10 mission to assist in returning NASA astronauts from the ISS. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which has been docked at the ISS since late September, will transport the astronauts back to Earth. SpaceX stated that the spacecraft will perform maneuvers to lower its orbit, jettison its trunk, and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere near Florida on Tuesday evening.
Return Marks the End of a Nine-Month Stint in Space for Wilmore and Williams
If the Dragon spacecraft departs as scheduled, Wilmore and Williams will conclude their nine-month stay in space, significantly longer than initially planned. The Boeing Starliner, which transported them to the ISS last summer, encountered “helium leaks” and “spacecraft control issues” during its approach, prompting NASA and Boeing to delay its return mission to gather more test data and minimize risks to the crew.
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft, part of NASA’s crew flight test, is shown docked at the Harmony module of the International Space Station, orbiting 263 miles above the Mediterranean. (NASA / FOX News)
Wilmore and Williams’ mission aboard the Boeing Starliner was intended to serve as a test flight to evaluate the spacecraft’s systems as part of NASA’s commercial crew program certification process. SpaceX, also part of the program, has now completed 10 operational human spaceflight missions, including the Crew-10 launch, which facilitated the return of Wilmore and Williams by bringing new astronauts to the ISS.
The return journey for Wilmore, Williams, Hague, and Gorbunov is expected to take approximately 17 hours once the Dragon spacecraft undocks from the ISS, according to NASA and SpaceX.
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