Former NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez joins the “American Newsroom” to discuss the latest mission schedule for the ISS to bring astronauts back to Earth nine months later.
A pair of NASA astronauts who have been in space for over nine months have returned to Earth after a new crew and arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) over the weekend.
The four crew members 10, carried by SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft at the beginning of Sunday, met with the ISS since NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Willmore and Snee Williams changed their mission for a much longer period in June 2024, which lasted a much longer.
SpaceX capsules will dock on the International Space Station on Sunday, March 16th, 2025. (NASA)
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NASA Eye Homecoming Tuesday for Crew 9, including Willmore and Williams
NASA said it is aiming to be a crew consisting of NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos astronaut Alexander Golbunov, in addition to Wilmore and Williams, to return to Earth on Tuesday evening.
NASA astronauts Butch Willmore (R) and Snie Williams are wearing Boeing spacecraft, departing the Neil A. Armstrong Operation and Checkout Building, and departing the Space Center Checkout Building for Kennedy Space Force 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP Getty Images / Getty Images)
According to the US Space Agency, the planned arrival “giving the space station crew time to complete their handover obligations and provide operational flexibility ahead of the whimsical weather conditions expected later in the week.”
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SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft plans to bring them back to Earth. The spacecraft has been on the ISS ever since carrying the Hague and Golbunov in late September.
SpaceX, an aerospace company led by Elon Musk, said the spacecraft “plans to perform multiple orbital degradation operations, dump the trunk and re-enter the atmosphere of the Earth for Splashdown.”
The ISS is surrounded by the globe from around 250 miles above.
Return marks the end of a nine-month long stint in space for Williams' Willmore
If the Dragon's departure is not delayed by weather and other circumstances, Crew 9's homecoming marks the end of a nine-month stint in the Wilmore and Williams universe, much longer than initial plans.
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft that led Wilmore and Williams into space last summer was originally scheduled to have “helium leaks” and “spacecraft reaction control thrusters” as “helium leaks” and “spacecraft reaction control thruster problems” approached the ISS at the time, NASA said.
The Starliner spacecraft for NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test is docked into the forward port of the Harmony Module as the International Space Station is in orbit, 263 miles above the Mediterranean. (NASA/FOX News)
According to NASA, the space agency and Boeing have decided in early September that Starliner will return to unmanned Earth in early September, and that “continue to “collect test data” on the spacecraft.” Also, Wilmore and Williams became members of the then Crew 9 and scheduled them to return at the same time as The Hague and Golbunov.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Willmore were Boeing Starliner capsule flight crews recovering from a series of issues. (NASA/Getty Images)
Williams' trips with Willmore and Boeing spacecraft were to serve as a test flight to “test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems,” as part of the certification process to participate in NASA's commercial crew program, the space agency said in June 2024.
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SpaceX, part of NASA's commercial crew program, has implemented 10 operational human spaceflight missions, including the launch of 10 of the best crew members that will allow Wilmore and Williams to return home by bringing new astronauts to ISS staff.
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According to NASA and SpaceX, the journey to revive Wilmore, Williams, The Hague and Golbunov is expected to take about 17 hours once the dragon leaves the ISS.
