A Long Space Odyssey Ends as Suni and Butch Return Home

United States astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore went to space on board the Boeing Starliner Calypso on June 5, 2024. They were meant to spend eight days on the International Space Station (ISS), only to return nine long months later.

Here are key highlights of their delayed homecoming:

A Delayed Return: Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore launched in June last year aboard Boeing's Starliner for an eight-day mission, but propulsion issues delayed their return.  
 

An Unmanned Comeback: NASA decided in August to bring back Starliner without a crew, while Williams and Wilmore awaited a SpaceX Crew Dragon mission.  

Extended Mission: The astronauts spent months conducting research, station maintenance, and spacewalks, including two by Williams.  

Record Spaceflight: Williams completed her third spaceflight, reaching a total of 608 days in space—second among US astronauts after Peggy Whitson's 675 days.  

Political Controversy: Donald Trump claimed Joe Biden ‘abandoned’ the astronauts for political reasons, while Elon Musk supported the call for a quicker return.  

Crew Dragon Rescue: SpaceX Crew Dragon arrived at the ISS on Friday with a replacement crew and undocked early on Tuesday for the return journey.  

Successful Splashdown: The spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere and splashed down off Florida's Gulf Coast at 5:45 pm ET under clear skies.  

Safe Retrieval: The capsule was hoisted onto a recovery ship, and the astronauts were transported to NASA’s Johnson Space Center for health checks.  

White House Response: The White House echoed Trump’s claim that he expedited the astronauts' return, stating, “promises made, promises kept.”