The long-awaited return for two stranded astronauts is finally in sight after spending what will be an insane 286 days in space.
Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore were only expected to be on the International Space Station (ISS) for eight days, a mission which started back in June 2024.
However, a series of technical malfunctions on the Boeing Starliner made their return to Earth almost impossible. As such, the pair's over-nine-month stay on the satellite made national news headlines.
NASA had initially planned a return in February, but the mission faced delays due to technical issues with a rocket clamp arm.
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Then, on March 12, another attempt was made to launch a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center, but was aborted at the last minute due to a hydraulic issue with the launch tower.
After multiple setbacks, Crew-10 successfully reached the ISS on Sunday 16 March, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule - where they were met with a surprise welcome from crewmate Nick Hague.
As they made preparations for their journey home, Williams and Wilmore took a moment to send a message of gratitude to Elon Musk and Donald Trump on X, thanking them for their role in the astronauts' return.
"We're coming back before long, so don't make all those plans without me," Williams said. "We'll be back before too long." Musk reposted the video on Sunday, adding heart and rocket emojis.
Likewise, President Trump reshared the video on his own social media platform, Truth Social.
"All of us have the utmost respect for Mr [Elon] Musk and obviously respect and admiration for our president of the United States, Donald Trump," Wilmore said. "We appreciate them and we appreciate all they do for us, human spaceflight for our nation, and we're thankful for the positions they are in."
After a lot of political spout, with Musk accusing the Biden administration of 'abandoning,' Trump ordered his close ally and CEO of SpaceX to bring them back.
Asked about the stranded astronauts, Trump had said: "We love you and we're coming up to get you and you shouldn't have been up there so long.
"The most incompetent president in our history has allowed that to happen to you... I've authorized Elon Musk to go and get them and he's prepared to do so." (sic)
With Crew-10 now onboard, they will take over ISS operations, replacing Williams, Wilmore, and Crew-9 astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov. The new team, including Commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, is set to spend the next six months on the station.
Barring any further delays, NASA expects Williams and Wilmore’s return journey to begin on 18 March at 1:05 am, with their capsule set to splash down off the Florida coast at approximately 5:57 pm. But adapting to life on Earth again will not be without its challenges.