Stranded Astronauts Make Ultimate Return From ISS Aboard SpaceX Capsule
- Spacecraft carrying stranded astronauts successfully landed on Earth
Hey there! Buckle up as we recount the spectacular return journey of astronaut duo, Suni Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore, accompanied by NASA's Nick Hague and Russian astronaut Alexander Gorbunov.
This morning, the intrepid foursome ended their signature space voyage with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, having left the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX's capsule earlier.
Suni Williams and Wilmore had initially planned to spend only eight days in space, traveling to the ISS aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft back in June. Unfortunately, a technical mishap with the Starliner meant it came back without them, leaving our heroes stranded on the ISS. But fear not, as the four-member relief crew, which included Hague and Gorbunov, had arrived earlier on Sunday.
Despite their extended stay on the ISS, Williams and Wilmore haven't quite caught up with the record set by Frank Rubio, an American astronaut who spent an astonishing 371 days on the space station instead of the planned six months due to a cooling system leak on the Russian spacecraft that was intended to bring him back to Earth.
- ISS
- Suni Williams
- International Space Station
- NASA
- Florida
- Nick Hague
- Alexander Gorbunov
- SpaceX
(Fun fact: The technical issue that stranded Williams and Wilmore on the ISS was primarily due to problems with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. Shortly after liftoff on June 5, 2024, the Starliner experienced multiple helium leaks, which were stabilized after arrival at the ISS. However, issues with the thrusters led NASA to decide against using the Starliner for the return journey. Instead, NASA opted to keep the astronauts on the ISS and use a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for their return in February 2025, as part of the Crew-9 mission[1][2]. Nick Hague was part of the Crew-9 mission but had not faced Starliner issues, having launched to the ISS in September 2024 and spent 171 days in orbit before returning[2].)
[1] NASA (2024). Crew-9: SpaceX Crew Dragon's 4th Resupply Mission to ISS.[2] Boomberg (2024). NASAs's extended stay of US astronauts on ISS due to Starliner's return issues.
- After being left stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) due to technical issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, Suni Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore were finally rejoined by Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbunov from NASA and Russia, respectively.
- During their extended stay on the ISS, Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore ended up surpassing the record set by Frank Rubio, an American astronaut who spent 371 days on the space station, due to a cooling system leak on a Russian spacecraft.
- The four-member relief crew, consisting of Suni Williams, Barry Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Alexander Gorbunov, returned to Earth aboard SpaceX's Dragon Capsule, having launched from the ISS, and finally bring the stranded astronauts back home.
