Originally scheduled for an eight-day stay on the ISS in June, issues with the experimental spacecraft they arrived on have left them stranded for nine months.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday night, carrying a crew of four astronauts who will take the place of Williams and Wilmore. The new crew is set to arrive at the ISS early Sunday at around 3:30am GMT, with Williams, Wilmore, NASA astronaut Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov expected to return to Earth on Wednesday.
The mission was met with controversy after President Donald Trump, along with his adviser Elon Musk (also the CEO of SpaceX), alleged without evidence that former President Joe Biden had left Williams and Wilmore at the station for political reasons. The astronauts denied these claims.
Williams and Wilmore arrived at the ISS in June 2024 aboard a Boeing-built Starliner spacecraft. Initially, NASA planned for the Starliner to return the astronauts to Earth, but problems with the spacecraft’s thrusters and helium leaks in its propulsion system led to the decision not to use it for their return.
Following this decision, the empty Starliner was undocked and made an automated landing in the New Mexico desert, leaving Williams and Wilmore to wait on the ISS for a crew rotation mission. This unexpected delay kept them in orbit for several months longer than initially planned.
Williams expressed her excitement about returning home to her family and dogs, acknowledging the challenging experience her family has endured during her extended stay.
