Astronauts who couldn't return from the International Space Station for months on their way to Earth

Two NASA astronauts who were unable to return from the International Space Station for months, Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams, are returning to Earth today.

They are traveling in a capsule from the private company "SpaceX", which concludes their dramatic mission that began more than nine months ago with a test flight of a Boeing spacecraft to the International Space Station, but the spacecraft broke down, and they were unable to return.

Wilmore and Williams left the International Space Station, which has been their home since last spring, for Earth in a SpaceX capsule with two other astronauts, arriving on the Florida coast this afternoon, Eastern Time.

When they took off from Earth on June 5, 2024, on a test flight of Boeing's new spacecraft, the two astronauts were supposed to be in space for just a week. However, due to a series of problems with the spacecraft, NASA gave up and asked SpaceX for help with the return, which delayed everything, and then problems arose with the SpaceX spacecraft, which further prolonged the action.

The situation caught the world's attention. Although other astronauts had previously stayed in space for longer periods of time, none of them had to deal with so much uncertainty and so many delays.

Wilmore and Williams unplannedly performed experiments together on the International Space Station, repaired equipment, and "walked" in space. With 62 hours in nine spacewalks, Williams set a record for women.

NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing after the end of its shuttle fleet to have two competing American companies to transport astronauts until the end of the International Space Station's service life in 2030.

The plan is to replace it with private stations so NASA can focus on manned expeditions to the Moon and Mars.