Two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were stranded onboard the International Space Station (ISS) for more than nine months, are finally on their way back to Earth.
Wilmore and Williams launched to the ISS on June 5 to test Boeing’s long-awaited Starliner spacecraft, a ship designed to rival SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, on an eight-day mission.
However, upon docking at the ISS, it was discovered that the Starliner had suffered multiple technical issues, including five helium leaks, five faulty maneuvering thrusters, and a malfunctioning propellant valve, prompting an extension to the original scheduled week-long mission.
Since then, both United States Navy veterans have completed spacewalks, and experiments and even helped sort out the plumbing onboard.
The astronauts have repeatedly said they have enjoyed the mission, with Williams describing the space station as her “happy place”.
“Every day is interesting because we’re up in space and it’s a lot of fun,” she said earlier this month, although she added the waiting was likely hard for family members on the ground.
The SpaceX vehicle that will take them home arrived at the space station in September, carrying NASA’s Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, along with two empty seats.
Wilmore and Williams then stuck around so that the other two astronauts could complete their mission, although their return was once more delayed because of problems with the SpaceX rocket that was going to bring them back.
The long-awaited crew is expected to splashdown off the coast of Florida at around 10 pm on Tuesday, after a 17-hour trip.
The group was planning to come back on last week Wednesday but “favorable” weather conditions meant their return could be brought forward by one day.
