Start the countdown, the engine is on…
US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally set off from the International Space Station early Tuesday, beginning their long-awaited journey after locking them in space for more than nine months.
According to NASA, 62-year-old Williams and 59-year-old Williams will be called “Freedom” on a SpaceX crew Dragon Capsule, known as “Freedom.”
Originally supposed to be in space for just 10 days last summer, the Stranded pair heads home with American Nick Hague and Russian astronaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, as they finish their tour on a Crew 9 mission.
Wilmore and Williams have been caught up in the ISS ever since last June when Boeing's Starliner capsule had leaks and mechanical issues, forcing them to return the craft even if there's no one in NASA.
This episode rolled Boeing's commercial space flight ambitions, and SpaceX served as the only backup to help bring astronauts home.
The duo have since had to wait for the Hague and Golbunov's return shuttle. This was only to be released after SpaceX's Crew 10 arrived over the weekend to release duties on the ISS.
Elon Musk argues that plans to bring Willmore and Williams back to the previous state have been shelved by former President Joe Biden, and that the mission has been trashed in political mud.
But Biden administration officials have denied all allegations that they left astronauts in space for political reasons.
Due to the delay, Wilmore and Williams spent about 285 days in space, finishing sixth among NASA's single space flight record holders just behind Peggy Whitson, who spent 289 days in space.
Frank Rubio maintains his current record 371 days after experiencing his own problems when Russian soy capsules leaked and were left behind by the ISS in 2022.
