NASA has pledged to bring home astronauts stuck in space for 9 months: what Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will be doing there until February 2025

NASA and Boeing have finally decided that Sunita Williams, 58, and Barry "Butch" Wilmore, 61, who have been stuck in space since June, will not return to Earth aboard a Starliner capsule due to its malfunction. The veteran astronauts will complete their mission on SpaceX' s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which will take them home in February 2025.

It is known that for the sake of valuable equipment needed for the International Space Station (ISS), Suni and Wilmore did not even take their bags into space, because they were sure they were only flying for eight days. What will the astronauts do on the space station when their mission has dragged on for about nine months, writes CNN.

Capsule replacement

According to SpaceX, the Dragon capsule is intended for the Crew-9 mission, which is scheduled to launch on September 24. However, it will be modified to accommodate Starliner astronauts. The Dragon capsule will be launched with only two crew members instead of four to make room for Wilmore and Williams when it's time to return to Earth. And it will also be reconfigured to carry more cargo, personal items and special Dragon spacesuits for the Starliner duo.

The Crew-9 astronauts will stay aboard for about five to six months and will tentatively return to Earth in February, along with Suni and Barry.

Meanwhile, NASA and Boeing are set to return the Starliner capsule to Earth without a crew. The malfunctioning craft will land at White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico sometime this September.

"The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home without a crew is the result of a dedication to safety," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.

After all, five of the 28 engines malfunctioned when the Starliner capsule docked with the ISS in June.

"We're dealing with a very complex problem related to the engines. It's hard to anticipate their efficiency and the temperatures we'll see on re-launch," said NASA commercial crew program manager Steve Stich.

Personal items left behind

NASA astronauts Sunny Williams and Butch Wilmore admitted that when they went to the International Space Station, they left their bags behind for key equipment. They flew out without their own toiletries and other personal items, because they hoped to return to Earth in eight days. They had no way of expecting their space journey to drag on for nine months.

New challenges

Williams and Wilmore are not part of Expedition 71, an international crew of seven astronauts who are official space station personnel. However, NASA said they have integrated seamlessly with the group, performing daily tasks aboard the orbiting laboratory. The veteran astronauts inspect hardware, participate in cargo organization, Starliner inspections and assist in science experiments and technical demonstrations, among other things.

But now Suni and Butch will become full-time expedition crew members, they will join SpaceX's Crew-9 astronauts. As part of the new team, the veteran astronauts will take on typical crew tasks such as conducting spacewalks outside the space station, maintaining the orbiting lab and conducting a busy schedule of science experiments.

NASA has confirmed that the Starliner astronauts are ready for such work. "Butch and Suni are fully trained. They are capable and knowledgeable about EVA (spacewalks), with robotics, with all the things we need," emphasized NASA's International Space Station program manager Dana Weigel.

Experts emphasized that they were prepared for unpredictable circumstances in space.

"We made a decision several years ago - knowing that this was going to be a test flight - to make sure we had the resources, supplies and crew training we needed in case they needed to be on the ISS for any reason for a longer period of time," Dana Weigel said.

Suni Williams expressed confidence in NASA and said she has "a really good feeling in her heart that the spacecraft will bring us home, no problem." And Wilmore emphasized that he, too, will have confidence in the Crew-9 mission.

According to NASA, there are various experiments being conducted on the ISS aimed at astronauts' mental health, from virtual reality to photographing the Earth. All for the sake of helping astronauts during missions, which can take from six to 12 months, feel happy.

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