How to Watch: Starliner Crew Set for Splashdown After 9-Month ISS Stay

NASA targets Tuesday at 5:57 p.m. for the return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew to the ISS on Boeing Starliner’s inaugural crew flight test.

Jack Daleo

Monday, March 17, 2025 at 12:34 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Jack Daleo

(From left, clockwise) NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are expected to return to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday evening. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are scheduled to return to Earth on Tuesday via a SpaceX Crew Dragon, concluding an unexpected nine-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS).
Their prolonged mission, initially planned for eight days aboard Boeing's Starliner, was extended significantly due to technical issues discovered with the Starliner spacecraft, including helium leaks and faulty thrusters, requiring extensive evaluation.
The extended stay generated controversy, with some describing the astronauts as "stranded," but NASA maintains the delay was due to thorough safety assessments of Starliner and complex ISS scheduling logistics, rather than rejected early return offers.

See a mistake? Contact us.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew to the International Space Station (ISS) in June for an intended eight-day stay, are expected to finally return to Earth Tuesday after spending more than nine months orbiting the planet.

The space agency on Sunday said it expects the astronauts—the commander and pilot of Boeing Starliner’s inaugural crew flight test (CFT)—to splash down off the Florida coast Tuesday at 5:57 p.m. EDT. NASA had originally been targeting a Wednesday splashdown. But after meeting with SpaceX, whose Crew Dragon spacecraft will serve as Wilmore and Williams’ ride home, officials determined that weather conditions are more favorable for a Tuesday return.