The agency managed to adjust the timeline by swapping the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for its Crew-10 mission, which is now set to launch as early as March 12, depending on readiness. This change could mean that Williams and Wilmore will return to Earth a few days earlier than the previously targeted late March date.
Before Williams and Wilmore can head back, the Crew-10 astronauts need to arrive at the International Space Station, as they are currently part of the Crew-9 mission.
The Crew-9 spacecraft, known as Crew Dragon Freedom, is currently docked at the station and can return to Earth after a brief handover with the incoming Crew-10 team, according to NASA's statement.
This update follows some confusion stirred by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump regarding the astronauts' return, with both trying to take credit for the mission.
Musk mentioned on X, the social media platform he acquired in 2022, that Trump had instructed him to bring the astronauts home “as soon as possible,” adding that it was unfortunate the Biden administration had left them there for so long.
“We will do so,” Musk’s post read. “Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”
However, NASA had already announced in August that they planned to use a SpaceX vehicle for the return, well before Musk or Trump made their comments.
NASA initially planned to utilize a newly constructed Crew Dragon capsule for the Crew-10 launch as early as February. However, in December, the agency announced that mission teams required additional time to finalize processing on the SpaceX capsule. Consequently, the return date for Williams and Wilmore’s Crew-9 mission was postponed from February to late March.
In the latest update from NASA, the agency will now employ the Crew Dragon Endurance, which has successfully completed three missions, with the most recent being the Crew-7 mission that returned to Earth in March 2024 after a seven-month duration at the space station.
Boeing Starliner crew’s extended mission
Since last June, Williams and Wilmore have been stationed at the space station. They piloted the first crewed mission of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which encountered several challenges during its journey to the station. Originally, the astronauts were expected to spend approximately one week at the orbiting laboratory.
Following Starliner's arrival, NASA and Boeing dedicated several weeks to investigating the issues, including helium leaks and propulsion problems, that affected the initial phase of the test flight.
Ultimately, NASA officials determined that it would be too hazardous to return the Starliner with crew onboard. As a result, Williams and Wilmore have been integrated as official members of the space station team while they await their return alongside the other members of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which includes NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
The Crew-10 mission, set to relieve Williams and Wilmore from their extended stay in low-Earth orbit, will feature NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.