Instead of a few days, they spent over two hundred in space. There is a chance that they will return to earth soon

Wilmore and Williams began their mission on June 5, 2024, it was the first test of Starliner – a new Boeing Production ship. While traveling to the International Space Station, Hel leaked and five out of 28 engines failed. Just before docking the capsule, the astronauts managed to launch two of them. Since then, the Americans are waiting for NASA He will bring them home, and their mission is already on eight days, it lasts over 270.

Everything indicates, however, that Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams will return to Earth after March 12. On this day, NASA plans to arrive in their successors on board the SpaceX Dragon ship. On the way home, Astronauts will be accompanied by Nick Hague from NASA and Aleksander Gorbunow from Roskosmos, who have been on the ISS since September 2024.

On Tuesday, the astronauts took part in a press conference organized at the ISS. When asked about everyday life at the station, Wilmore admitted that he feels much better physically when he was in spaceand Williams confessed that she was easier to fall asleep.

– We were prepared for a long stay, even though we planned to stay short (…) This is what space flights are about, planning unpredictable events, and this is what we did – said Barry “Butch” Wilmore.

As he emphasized, although politics is part of life, it did not directly affect the flight plan. In January, President Donald Trump and his adviser and owner of SpaceX Elon Musk declared that they want to accelerate the return of astronauts, blaming the administration of former president Joe Biden to extend their mission. Williams did not agree with the recent call of Musk to close the ISS in the next two years. NASA plans to deorbit the station in 2031.

Read also: “Hey Elon, when will you finally get the courage to get into the rocket and talk”?

The American astronaut admitted that she would miss “everything related to space.” Among the most exciting parts of the Suni mission, she mentioned watching northern lights.

– The sun was really active. You stand still (you look) and realize that the universe is extremely powerful – added Williams.

The mission of two astronauts from the beginning was associated with many problems. The original Starter start was dismissed twice. First because of the lifting rocket fault, then due to Hel's leak.