NASA astronauts stuck in space for nine months on way back to Earth

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were scheduled to stay in space for just one week.

Published: March 18, 2025 8:15am

Updated: March 18, 2025 8:36am

The two NASA astronauts who have been stuck in space for nine months are headed back to earth Tuesday in a SpaceX capsule that arrived for them this past weekend at the International Space Station. 

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore departed the International Space Station at 1:05 a.m. ET, and are expected to be back on earth this afternoon, according to CNN.

They were scheduled to be in space for a week. However, safety concerns about the Boeing spacecraft in which they arrived resulted in the craft returning to earth unmanned and the astronauts remaining at the space station. 

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