An unexpected extended stay at the International Space Station will come to an end March 18, 2025 — weather and technology permitting. If all goes as planned, NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore will return to Earth, unintentionally joining the top 10 list of longest time for U.S. astronauts spent in space on a single mission.

A Longer Stay on the ISS

When Suni and Butch rode Boeing’s first-ever crewed Starliner to the ISS in June 2024, they were only expected to stay there eight days. However, the Starliner experienced issues with its propulsion and parachute systems during the trip to the ISS.

The propulsion system controls the capsule’s movements in space and the parachutes help manage its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. If the Starliner were a car, a mechanic would say there are problems with both its steering and its brakes.

Despite those difficulties, NASA initially planned to send the two back on the Starliner in August 2024. But that mission was scrubbed when the systems couldn’t be fixed in space nor could they be counted on to return the astronauts safely to Earth. The Starliner, eventually undocked from the ISS on September 6, 2024 returned, uncrewed, at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

Planned SpaceX Mission

NASA then considered sending Crew-9 home in February 2025, with a handoff to SpaceX Crew-10. But that plan, too, got bumped due to the need for further testing.

NASA then pivoted to use an already planned SpaceX mission as a shuttle service to bring the two stranded astronauts home. Initially NASA’s Crew-9 was to consist of NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Nick Hague, and Stephanie Wilson, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Wilson and Cardman were removed from that mission to leave two seats open for Suni and Butch.

Read More: Another Delay Postpones NASA Astronauts’ Return to Earth in 2025

Suni and Butch Return to Earth

The NASA commander and Russian cosmonaut launched on September 28, 2024 and docked with ISS the next day.

Crew-10 finally left for the ISS March 14, 2025 and docked there March 15, 2025. For a few days, the space station was a bit crowded with 11 astronauts from Russia, Japan, and the U.S. aboard.

There will be more room once Hague and Gorbunov accompany Suni and Butch to Earth via SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, undocking 1:05 a.m. March 18, 2025, then splashing down off the coast of Florida at 5:57 p.m.

NASA will provide live coverage of the Crew-9’s return, from hatch closure to splashdown. NASA had considered scheduling another Starliner flight for 2025, but those plans are now uncertain.

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Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.