• After nearly six months in orbit, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have learned they will need to spend an additional month aboard the ISS.
• This as NASA and SpaceX ready a new Dragon vessel for the Crew-10 mission.
• It’s said that the ISS is well stocked to accommodate this delay.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were meant to spend up to 10 days in space, but a problem with their spacecraft meant they had to remain aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June.

The vessel in question was Boeing’s Starliner which exhibited problems as it approached the ISS in June. Following several more problems appearing and concerned about the safety of the two crew members, it was decided that Starliner would be sent back to Earth, without the crew.

Instead, Wilmore and Williams would hitch a ride back to Earth aboard a SpaceX vessel in February 2025. Now, that plan has changed.

Instead of travelling back to Earth in February, Wilmore and Williams will have to wait for replacement astronauts to arrive at the floating laboratory in March. This as NASA and SpaceX are processing a new Dragon spacecraft for the Crew-10 mission.

“Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail,” said Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet in support of our missions and the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as we work together to complete the new capsule’s readiness for flight.”

The Starliner crew will hitch a ride back to Earth aboard the Crew-9 vessel which arrived earlier this year. As the ISS crew rotates out depending on the crew that arrives to replace them, that means Wilmore and Williams have to wait for the replacement crew.

The crew for the Crew-10 mission includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander, and Nichole Ayers, pilot; JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, mission specialist; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov who are all currently training in Houston.

NASA reports that the delay shouldn’t cause any complications. The ISS is well stocked with food, water, clothing and oxygen thanks to a resupply mission last month. There are even special items available for the crew to celebrate the holidays.

As uncomfortable as it may be for the Starliner crew to spend this much time in space, the longest stay is about a year. Long stays at the orbital laboratory also help NASA better understand the effects space has on the human body, a vital part of the puzzle we need to complete if we want to explore the cosmos.