Summary

  • Two Nasa astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since last summer are on their way back to Earth on a SpaceX Crew Dragon

  • Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore left Earth in June 2024 for an eight-day mission to test Boeing Starliner's capsule

  • The capsule suffered technical issues, so Nasa decided to keep them on the ISS and return the Starliner to Earth empty

  • The journey home is expected to last almost 17 hours, with splashdown expected just before 22:00GMT

  • It will be a fast and fiery re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere for the Space X capsule - science editor Rebecca Morelle explains how it works

  • You can follow the astronauts' journey home live by pressing watch live at the top of the page

  1. Who are Butch and Suni travelling home with?published at 05:51 Greenwich Mean Time

    Rebecca Morelle
    Science editor

    Hague and Gorbunov walk past a white wall bearing the Nasa logo wearing slim white space suits with grey detailing and matching helmets. A woman in a blue Nasa boiler suit stands behind them, seen in between themImage source, EPA

    Butch and Suni are leaving the space station with Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

    Hague and Gorbunov arrived at the space station in September on a SpaceX Dragon capsule.

    There were supposed to be four astronauts on that mission – but Nasa took the decision to fly with a crew of two, which left two seats spare for Butch and Suni to come home in.

    After the arrival of Hague and Gorbunov, Butch and Suni became incorporated into their crew – known as crew nine – and now the four are all flying back together.

    This has been cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov’s first trip to space, while Nasa’s Nick Hague spent 203 days on the space station in 2019.

  2. A ride home that’s far from easypublished at 05:25 Greenwich Mean Time

    Rebecca Morelle
    Science editor

    A small, round, white capsule is photographed from space above the EarthImage source, Nasa
    Image caption,

    The SpaceX Dragon capsule pictured here during its journey to the ISS in late September

    Getting home from space is far from easy.

    The SpaceX Dragon capsule will make a fast and fiery re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere, enduring temperatures of up to 1,600C. A heatshield will protect Butch, Suni and the two other astronauts they are travelling with, as they sit inside the capsule.

    As the craft hits the atmosphere, it starts to rapidly slow and the astronauts will experience significant g-forces, about four times Earth’s gravity. Finally, four large parachutes will open up – with a jolt for those inside – but this then allows the craft to slow down enough for a gentle splashdown in the ocean.

    Helen Sharman, Britain’s first astronaut, made the ride home in a Soyuz capsule during her visit to space in 1991. She said the thrilling ride would be worth it.

    “They're experienced astronauts but they will feel fantastic to be back on Earth. The fresh air is the first thing that gets you,” she told me.

  3. Dragon undocks from the ISSpublished at 05:06 Greenwich Mean Time

    The SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying Butch and Suni, as well as Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, has just undocked from the International Space Station.

    The undocking process is autonomous, requiring no action from the crew on board.

    The spacecraft will now begin its 17-hour journey back to Earth.

  4. How is the journey expected to play out?published at 04:49 Greenwich Mean Time

    Nasa has advised us of some pretty specific times that key moments in the astronauts’ journey home are expected to occur.

    This is when the milestones are expected to happen:

    • 05:05: The SpaceX capsule is due to undock from the ISS
    • 21:11: The deorbit burn begins - this is when the capsule uses its rockets to slow itself and re-enter the atmosphere
    • 21:57: Splashdown
  5. What supplies do the astronauts have?published at 04:33 Greenwich Mean Time

    Given the Boeing mission was meant to be a short trip, Williams and Wilmore packed light.

    They brought minimal toiletries and clothes, expecting a quick return to Earth, after just over a week's stay.

    Williams also brought a card game. She admits that she didn't expect it to work - but said in an interview aboard the ISS earlier this month that the crew all managed to play.

    Wilmore brought a ring featuring sentimental naval aviator pilot wings in gold that he carries with him.

    Nick Hague, a Nasa astronaut who was brought to the ISS on a separate mission but is heading home with the Starliner crew, said he brought some sheet music.

    The astronauts on the ISS also received deliveries of supplies including clothes, food, water and oxygen.

  6. Nine months in space takes a physical tollpublished at 04:13 Greenwich Mean Time

    Rebecca Morelle
    Science editor

    The four astronauts smile at the camera, suspended weightless in a room in the ISS with white walls covered in wires and electronicsImage source, Nasa
    Image caption,

    Clockwise from left: Butch Wimore, Suni Williams, Aleksandr Gorbunov and Nick Hague

    Most astronauts spend about six months onboard the space station - Butch and Suni have now been there just over nine months. And being in space takes a toll on your body.

    Even though astronauts on the ISS exercise for hours every day, the weightless environment still means they lose bone density and suffer muscle loss. Blood circulation - usually helped along by gravity - is also affected, and fluid shifts can also impact eyesight. Astronauts are exposed to radiation too.

    Everyone on the ISS is carefully monitored throughout their mission - and this continues on return to Earth.

    Most of the changes can be reversed as the body re-adapts to gravity, but that does take some time.

  7. Who is bringing them home, and how?published at 03:51 Greenwich Mean Time

    The Starliner crew Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, alongside fellow Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov (who have been on the ISS separately) are today being taken back to Earth by a SpaceX flight.

    Hague and Gorbunov arrived on the ISS in a SpaceX Dragon capsule in September for a six-month mission.

    There’s room for four in that capsule, so now that those six months are up, they, alongside Williams and Wilmore, are ready to travel back to Earth.

    We are expecting the capsule to land back on Earth at around 22:00GMT.

  8. SpaceX capsule hatch closespublished at 03:19 Greenwich Mean Time

    The SpaceX Dragon capsule hatch is now closed.

    The four astronauts - Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov - could be seen in the livestream making preparations in the capsule, including putting on their re-entry suits.

  9. Nasa launches livestream of SpaceX Dragon capsulepublished at 02:52 Greenwich Mean Time

    Nasa has just started a livestream of the SpaceX Dragon capsule preparing to leave the ISS. Watch live below.

  10. How a mission went from eight days to nine monthspublished at 02:30 Greenwich Mean Time

    Rebecca Morelle
    Science editor

    When Butch and Suni arrived on the International Space Station in June, the plan was to stay for just eight days. They were taking part in the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

    But the capsule suffered several technical problems on its way to the space station, and it was deemed too risky to take the astronauts home. This capsule was flown back empty in early September, but it meant Butch and Suni needed a new ride back to Earth.

    So Nasa opted for the next scheduled flight: a SpaceX capsule that was due to arrive in late September. It flew with two astronauts instead of four, leaving two seats spare for Butch and Suni’s return. The only catch was this had a planned six-month mission, extending the astronauts stay until now.

    The arrival of a replacement crew on Sunday was the final step needed for Butch and Suni’s return –after a short hand-over with the new team – it means their mission is now at an end.

  11. Who are Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the stranded astronauts?published at 01:58 Greenwich Mean Time

    Sunita"Suni" Williams

    Suni was selected as an astronaut by Nasa in 1998 and is a veteran of two space missions before her current stay in the ISS. She has also worked in Moscow with the Russian Space Agency on the Russian contribution to the space station.

    She then branched out to work in the Robotics division. Williams spent a total of 322 days in space over the course of her previous two missions. With 50 hours and 40 minutes, she is second on the list of total cumulative spacewalk time by a female astronaut.

    Barry"Butch" Wilmore

    Butch is a veteran of two spaceflights and has accumulated 178 days in space. He was selected as an astronaut by Nasa in July 2000 and is a retired US Navy captain.

    In his last mission, he served as a Flight Engineer for Expedition 41, and he assumed command of the ISS upon arrival of the Expedition 42 crew. He returned to Earth in March 2015. During this mission, he logged 167 days in space and performed four spacewalks.

  12. Why did two astronauts get stranded in space?published at 01:54 Greenwich Mean Time

    Left to right: Butch, a man with short, light coloured hair and Suni, a woman with shoulder-length brown hair, smile wearing their blue space suitsImage source, EPA

    Nasa astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore went on what was meant to be an eight day mission to the International Space Station aboard a Boeing Starliner on 5 June 2024.

    It was the first flight of its kind with people on board and was a test designed to see how the new spacecraft performed.

    However, technical issues including helium leaks and thruster malfunctions meant that the Starliner became unsafe for their return and was brought back to Earth without them.

    In August, after more than two months in space, the decision was made for the pair to be brought back to Earth in March on a SpaceX craft.

    In the meantime, Williams and Wilmore have continued their work aboard the ISS doing research, going on spacewalks and video calling schools to educate children about life in space.

  13. 284, 285, 286… Blast off!published at 01:49 Greenwich Mean Time

    After a staggering 286 days in space, Nasa astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are coming home.

    The pair became stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2024 after technical issues appeared on the Boeing spacecraft that launched them there and it was deemed too risky for them to be aboard when it returned to Earth.

    At this very moment, the pair are boarding a SpaceX craft, which is due to undock from the ISS and begin its journey to Earth shortly.

    Watch along as we follow their journey back to their families live.