10 Months Of Hardship And Heroism, Here’s The Timeline Of Their Stay News24 –

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore are getting ready to come back to Earth after nearly 10 months on the International Space Station (ISS). What was meant to be an 8-day mission on Boeing’s Starliner became much longer because of technical problems. NASA has now approved a mission to bring them home using SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which will send a crew to help with their return.

On March 8, 2025, NASA officials announced that Crew 9, including astronauts Williams and Wilmore, along with Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov, will return only after Crew 10 is launched into space. Crew 10 is set to launch on March 12 at 7:48 EDT. A NASA official said during a call, “For the March 12 launch of Crew 10, Crew 9 will undock on March 16.”

Before the astronauts finally return to Earth, let’s look at the timeline of their stay, the missions to bring them back, and comments from the US president.

June 2024: On June 5, 2024, Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore were launched into space on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, planning to stay for eight days. Soon after the launch, a problem was found with a leak in the spacecraft’s plumbing. Over the next few days, more leaks appeared, and five thrusters stopped working.

August 2024: After two months, NASA confirmed that the astronauts would return to Earth on a SpaceX mission in February or March of 2025. “If NASA changes the plan, we will get Starliner ready for an uncrewed return,” said Starliner in a statement to E! News.

November 2024: Williams and Wilmore celebrated Thanksgiving in space and shared what it was like to celebrate on the ISS. “People are worried about us. Don’t worry, we’re doing fine, working out, eating well, and having a lot of fun up here,” Williams told NBC Nightly News.

December 2024: The astronauts completed six months in space, and NASA confirmed they would stay longer than expected. NASA said a new crew would need to be sent before Wilmore and Williams could return, and their stay might even go until April.

“The change gives NASA and SpaceX teams time to complete processing on a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission,” NASA wrote on its website. The space agency’s Commercial Crew Programme Manager, Steve Stich, added that fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft require great attention to detail and are thus delaying the process.

January 2025: While speaking to students at her old school, Needham High, Sunita Williams talked about the challenges and fun of living in space for months. During the Q&A, she was asked about microgravity. Williams explained that it felt like swimming or flying. “I’ve been up here long enough now. I’m trying to remember what it’s like to walk. I haven’t walked, sat down, or laid down. You don’t have to. You can just close your eyes and float where you are,” she said.

February 2025:  U.S. President Donald Trump made a post on Truth Social. He said that astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore were ‘virtually abandoned’ in space. This statement led to a response from both astronauts. On February 13, Barry Wilmore spoke to CNN’s Anderson Cooper. He said, “We don’t feel abandoned. We don’t feel stuck. We don’t feel stranded. We come prepared. We come committed.” Sunita Williams then added that they were “doing pretty darn good with food, clothes, and great crew members.” The astronauts confirmed that they would return to Earth on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule on March 12.

March 2025: Trump spoke to the media in the Oval Office and promised the astronauts stranded in space that they would be back on Earth soon. He also criticized the Biden administration, saying, “You shouldn’t have been up there so long. The most incompetent president in our history has allowed that to happen to you, but this president won’t let it happen.”

At the same time, Elon Musk posted on X, attacking Trump for not helping the astronauts return. “SpaceX could have sent up another Dragon and brought them home 6 months ago, but the Biden White House (not NASA) refused to allow it. President Trump asked to bring them back as soon as possible, and we are doing so,” he tweeted.