NASA has revealed why two stranded astronauts had to spend nine months in space after an intended eight-day mission.
What was originally planned as an eight-day mission turned into an extended 285-day stay at the International Space Station due to unforeseen technical issues, logistical challenges, and budget constraints.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore’s mission aboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner was supposed to be a brief test flight to assess the new spacecraft’s capabilities.
They launched in June 2024, but upon arrival at the ISS, a critical propulsion system malfunction rendered the Starliner unsafe for re-entry, per CNN.
With safety as a priority, NASA decided to return the Starliner to Earth unmanned in September 2024, leaving the astronauts aboard the ISS to wait for an alternative ride home.
Though their extended stay fueled speculation and political controversy, NASA officials have repeatedly denied claims that the astronauts were "stranded" in space.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson defended the decision, stating: "Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine.
"The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing’s Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value and our North Star."
While some - including SpaceX CEO Elon Musk - suggested that politics delayed their return, NASA’s Associate Administrator Ken Bowersox offered a different explanation: "The SpaceX folks helped us with a lot of options for how we would bring Butch and Suni home on Dragon in a contingency," he said.
However, despite having multiple options, budget constraints ultimately limited NASA’s ability to bring them home sooner.
"We ruled them out pretty quickly just based on how much money we've got in our budget, and the importance of keeping crews on the International Space Station," Bowersox explained.
NASA emphasized that the best course of action was to delay their return until March 2025, ensuring a safe and coordinated mission with SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft.
During their prolonged stay, Williams and Wilmore became integral members of the ISS crew, contributing over 900 hours to scientific research and completing 4,576 orbits around Earth.
NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Joel Montalbano praised their efforts, stating: "Suni and Butch did 150 experiments and 900 hours of research during their stint on the ISS."
Their work helped advance deep-space exploration and brought NASA closer to its goal of landing humans on Mars by the end of the decade.
NASA partnered with SpaceX to bring Williams and Wilmore home. The astronauts, along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, boarded the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, “Freedom”, for their return trip.
After a 17-hour journey, the capsule splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, at 5:57PM ET on March 18, 2025.
As the hatch opened, the astronauts emerged smiling and waving, clearly relieved and excited to be back on solid ground.
After nearly 10 months in microgravity, Williams and Wilmore will undergo an extensive rehabilitation program to readjust to Earth’s gravity.