Live Stream: Starliner Astronauts Make Long-Awaited Return Journey from Extended Orbital Sojourn

Live Stream: Starliner Crew's Long-Awaited Homecoming After 9-Month Ordeal in Orbit

NASA's Unexpected Homecoming: Williams and Wilmore Return from ISS

NASA is preparing for an early return of astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months. The space agency switched the SpaceX crew spacecraft and launched its Crew-10 mission on March 12, bringing Williams and Wilmore back around two weeks earlier than initially planned.

The astronauts' return to Earth was initially scheduled for February, as part of NASA's Crew-9 mission. However, technical issues and complications in organizing crew schedules in space led to a delay, and the two astronauts were set to return on board Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. Unfortunately, the Starliner was deemed unfit for the task, forcing Williams and Wilmore to travel back on a SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft instead.

The departure of the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft from the ISS will be live-streamed on NASA's website and NASA+ on Monday at 10:45 p.m. ET. The expected splashdown of the Spacecraft is around 5:57 p.m. ET on Tuesday. A press conference will be held at 7:30 p.m. ET after the splashdown.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov were the astronauts on Crew-9, but their departure was delayed until Crew-10 is on the ISS, which is scheduled for April. The two empty seats on Crew-9 were reserved for Williams and Wilmore.

The mission that brought Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth in March 2025 is the Boeing Starliner test mission, which started in June 2024 and was extended due to technical problems, culminating in their return on March 18, 2025. This mission marked an unexpectedly long time in space for the astronauts.

Interestingly, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were the first crew to fly on board Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. They initially journeyed to the ISS on board the Starliner CST-100 spacecraft on June 5, 2024.

There has been some controversy surrounding the decision to switch the SpaceX crew spacecraft. President Donald Trump claimed he is working on a rescue mission for the two astronauts, but they were not abandoned in space and did not need a rescue mission. Some speculate that the decision to switch the SpaceX crew spacecraft may have been prompted by Trump's ploy to use the plight of the two astronauts for political gain. However, NASA has not confirmed these claims.

Regardless of the reasons behind the decision, NASA and the astronauts are looking forward to their safe return. The resumption of live coverage of Dragon's return will begin at 4:45 p.m. ET, and a live stream of the Dragon's undocking procedure will begin on Tuesday at 12:45 a.m. ET. It's a time of excitement and anticipation as we prepare to welcome Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back home.