Return Plans for Two Astronauts Stranded on ISS Delayed Again, Postponed to March

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2024-12-22

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Two NASA astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for several months were originally scheduled to return to Earth in February 2025. However, the plan has now changed. Recently, NASA announced that their return mission will be further delayed until late March.

According to foreign media reports, American astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore traveled to the ISS aboard Boeing's "Starliner" spacecraft in June 2024. The initial plan was for them to stay on the ISS for only eight days before returning to Earth. However, due to issues during the mission, including propulsion system failures and leaks in the Starliner, NASA decided, for safety reasons, to send the Starliner back to Earth unmanned, leaving the two astronauts aboard the ISS.

NASA explained that the SpaceX "Dragon" spacecraft, which is designated for the "Crew-10" mission to replace the "Crew-9" team and bring back the stranded astronauts, requires additional preparation time. As a result, the Dragon spacecraft's launch has been postponed to March 2025. This means that Williams and Wilmore may not return to Earth until late March or even April, turning what was initially an eight-day mission into a nine-month ordeal.

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