After more than nine months in space, two astronauts who were stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have finally begun their journey home. Their SpaceX capsule undocked from the ISS at 0505 GMT on Tuesday, marking the end of their unexpectedly extended mission.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are joined on the return trip by American Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. A 17-hour journey back to Earth awaits the crew, who, after receiving permission, changed out of their space suits into more comfortable attire. If everything proceeds smoothly, their capsule will deploy parachutes for an ocean landing off the coast of Florida at around 2157 GMT, where a recovery vessel will be waiting.

Wilmore and Williams initially launched to the ISS in June last year aboard Boeing’s Starliner for what was meant to be a brief test mission. However, due to propulsion issues, their spacecraft was deemed unsafe for a return trip and was sent back to Earth without them. The pair, both former Navy pilots aged 62 and 59, were reassigned to NASA’s Crew-9 mission, which flew to the ISS last September with only two astronauts instead of the usual four to accommodate the "stranded" duo.

All the hugs. 🫶

The hatch of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft opened March 16 at 1:35 a.m. ET and the members of Crew-10 entered the @Space_Station with the rest of their excited Expedition 72 crew. pic.twitter.com/mnUddqPqfr

— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) March 16, 2025

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Their long-awaited departure was made possible after the arrival of Crew-10 on Sunday, an event met with smiles and hugs as the relief team floated aboard the station. Before entering their capsule on Tuesday, the departing astronauts exchanged heartfelt farewells with the crew staying behind. “Colleagues and dear friends who remain on the station... we’ll be waiting for you. Crew-9 is going home,” Hague said.

'Unbelievable resilience'

Although their mission exceeded the standard six-month ISS rotation, Wilmore and Williams' extended stay is only the sixth-longest for a US astronaut. The American record is held by Frank Rubio, who spent 371 consecutive days in space in 2023, while the world record belongs to Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 days aboard the Mir station.

According to Rihana Bokhari of the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College, the astronauts’ prolonged stay falls within manageable health risks, including muscle and bone loss, fluid shifts, and the challenge of readjusting to gravity. “Folks like Suni Williams are actually known for their interest in exercise, and so I believe she exercises beyond what is even her normal prescription,” Bokhari told AFP.

Yet, their unplanned stay, which initially left them without enough packed supplies, has drawn significant public interest. Psychologist Joseph Keebler of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University explained the mental toll of such a scenario: “If you found out you went to work today and were going to be stuck in your office for the next nine months, you might have a panic attack. These individuals have shown unbelievable resilience.”

The astronauts’ prolonged mission also became a political flashpoint, with President Donald Trump and his advisor, Elon Musk—who heads SpaceX—criticizing Joe Biden’s handling of the situation. “They shamefully forgot about the Astronauts, because they considered it to be a very embarrassing event for them,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday.

The claims sparked backlash in the space community, especially as Musk did not provide details, and NASA’s strategy for bringing the astronauts home had remained unchanged since their Crew-9 reassignment. Trump also raised eyebrows with his comments about Williams, referring to the decorated former naval officer as “the woman with the wild hair” and making odd remarks about her dynamic with Wilmore. “They’ve been left up there—I hope they like each other, maybe they love each other, I don’t know,” he said during a recent White House press conference.