Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore on Tuesday began their journey to finally head home on Earth as their extended space stay comes to an end. 

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How much time did they spend there? 

They were stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) for more than nine months. On June 5, 2024, Williams and Wilmore launched aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft for its first crewed flight, arriving at the space station on June 6. They were supposed to be there for seven days. 

Also read: Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore set to head home, but why was their ISS stay politicised?

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Williams, who became the first woman to command the ISS in 2012, is an inspiration for millions of girls and women worldwide. 

She has spent a total of 322 days in space throughout her two missions. With 50 hours and 40 minutes, she is second on the list of total cumulative spacewalk time by a female astronaut. 

Also read: 'Woman with wild hair': Here's why astronauts like NASA's Sunita Williams don't tie their hair?

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The stay of Wilmore and Williams, 62 and 59 respectively, surpasses the standard six-month ISS rotation but ranks only sixth among US records for single-mission duration.

Frank Rubio holds the top spot at 371 days in 2023, while the world record remains with Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 consecutive days aboard the Mir station.

Also read: Trump says he instructed Elon Musk to bring ‘abandoned’ astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore back

How much Sunita Williams will earn after the delays in space? 

While speaking to Washingtonian, former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman explained that astronauts receive their standard salary without overtime benefits. 

"There is some small amount of money per day for incidentals that they end up being legally obligated to pay you. For me, it was around $4 a day," Coleman said, further revealing that the only additional compensation they receive is a small daily stipend for incidentals - reportedly just $4 (Rs 347) per day.

As per this estimation, if Coleman received a total of around $636 (over Rs 55,000) in extra pay during her 159-day mission in 2010-11, Williams and Mr Wilmore might get just $1,148 (approximately Rs 1 lakh) each in additional compensation after spending over 287 days in space. 

Also read: 'She won’t be able to walk': How NASA’s Sunita Williams will be punished by Earth’s gravity upon return

Notably, both the astronauts are classified under the GS-15 pay grade, which is  the highest level for federal employees under the General Schedule (GS) system.

GS-15 government employees receive an annual base salary ranging between $125,133 - $162,672 (approximately Rs 1.08 crore - Rs 1.41 crore).

They will receive a prorated pay of $93,850 - $122,004 (about Rs 81 lakh to Rs 1.05 crore) for their prolonged 9-month tenure on the ISS.

(With inputs from agencies)