NASA’s stuck astronauts finally get their replacements at the Space Station

After spending nine unexpected months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally welcomed their replacements. A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule docked at the ISS on Sunday, delivering a fresh team from the U.S., Japan, and Russia to take over.

NASA’s long-awaited crew swap begins

Wilmore and Williams were originally meant to spend just one week in space after launching on Boeing’s first astronaut flight last June. However, a series of technical failures with Boeing’s Starliner capsule left them stranded for over nine months.

NASA determined that Starliner was too unreliable to bring them home, so the agency arranged a return trip aboard a SpaceX capsule, which has been docked at the station since September 2024.

The new crew welcomed with open arms.

After docking on Sunday, the new SpaceX crew members floated into the ISS, receiving hugs and handshakes from their fellow astronauts. Wilmore opened the hatch and rang the station’s bell, officially welcoming the newcomers.

“It was a wonderful day. Great to see our friends arrive,” Williams told Mission Control.

Final preparations for return to Earth

Wilmore and Williams will spend a few days training their replacements before boarding their return capsule later this week. Weather permitting, their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will undock no earlier than Wednesday and splash down off the Florida coast.

With their arrival, the ISS now houses 11 astronauts from the U.S., Russia, and Japan, all working together in the orbiting laboratory.

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