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Washington, United States
NASA on Wednesday (Dec 18) announced that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stuck in space for more than 180 days now, will now stay on the International Space Station (ISS) at least till March 2025.
Their return has been delayed many times now. Previously, they were scheduled to fly back in February 2025.
However, the agency now said that Williams and Willmore would now return to Earth along with astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov after the four-member Crew-10 mission reaches the space station.
"The agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission with NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will return to Earth following the arrival of Crew-10 to the orbital laboratory," NASA said in a statement.
"NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 now is targeting no earlier than late March 2025 to launch four crew members to the International Space Station," the agency stated.
They further added, "Known as a handover period, it allows Crew-9 to share any lessons learned with the newly arrived crew and support a better transition for ongoing science and maintenance at the complex."
Sunita Williams and her condition in space
William, 58, and Wilmore, 61, have been stuck in space for more than six months now. They got to the ISS on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
Initially, the craft was meant to depart for home on June 26. However, it faced several glitches, including leaks in the propulsion system and some of its thrusters shutting down, before reaching the ISS.
Despite making several attempts, NASA and Boeing could not trust it to bring the astronauts back safely to Earth.
Why was it delayed?
The agency said the launch was delayed to give teams time to complete processing on a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission. "The new spacecraft is set to arrive at the company’s processing facility in Florida in early January."
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme, said, "Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavour that requires great attention to detail. We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet in support of our missions and the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as we work together to complete the new capsule’s readiness for flight.”
Watch | Sunita Williams' Return Delayed: NASA Announces Extended ISS Stay for Stranded Astronauts
After careful consideration, the team has reached a decision that launching Crew-10 in late March would be the best option for meeting NASA's requirements and achieving space station objectives for 2025.
(With inputs from agencies)