Sunita Williams’ return: Why was space mission extended? Why is NASA not able to bring her back? Is she happy, healthy?

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is still counting her days in space. Due to a faulty spacecraft, her week-long excursion turned into a months-long trip. After back-to-back delays, her return to Earth is expected by March end or early April.

But what’s causing the delay in bringing Williams back to Earth? Is she happy and healthy in space? What records does Sunita Williams hold in space? How long did Sunita Williams spend in space? How long will Sunita Williams’ mission last? Here’s your guide to understanding Sunita William’s recent space mission.

But what’s causing the delay in bringing Sunita Williams back to Earth?

Sunita Williams had launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft her colleague and NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore on June 5. They reached the International Space Station (ISS) on June 6. On their way to the ISS, the Starliner was detected with faults in the thrusters and helium leaks.

Considering it was risky to bring back Sunita and Butch on the Starliner, NASA decided to bring back the Boeing spacecraft empty. The US space agency said the two Starliner astronauts would now return on a SpaceX-Dragon spacecraft in February 2025.

It was decided that Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore would fly home on the same Dragon spacecraft which was used to launch Crew 9 mission members Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbuno to the ISS.

The Crew-9 mission launch was first postponed by a month to “allow more time for mission managers to finalise return planning for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test [Starliner].” It was finally launched in late September.

As of now, Crew 9’s SpaceX Dragon spacecraft — Sunita William’s ride back home — remains docked at the ISS.

But still, Williams has not returned home. Why?

Crew-9’s launch was not the only criterion for bringing back the “stuck” astronauts. NASA is now awaiting the launch of Crew-9’s replacement – Crew-10 – to facilitate the return of the two astronauts.

Crew-9, which Sunita is parts of, will return only after Crew-10 reaches the ISS. NASA prefers to have overlapping crews at the space station for a smoother transition, according to officials.

NASA said earlier that SpaceX Crew-9 mission with NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will return to Earth only after the arrival of Crew-10 to the orbital laboratory.

But Crew-10 has also been delayed. It was supposed to launch in February 2025, but it has now been postponed to late March 2025. This has pushed back the arrival of the Crew-9 mission on Earth.

Why did NASA delay Crew-10 launch?

NASA said SpaceX needs more time to prepare the brand new capsule for liftoff. The US space agency said it considered using a different SpaceX capsule to fly up the replacement crew in order to keep the flights on schedule.

But it decided the best option was to wait for the new capsule to transport the next crew. NASA said the team determined that launching Crew-10 in late March, following the completion of the new Dragon spacecraft, “was the best option for meeting NASA’s requirements and achieving space station objectives for 2025.”

How long will Sunita Williams’ current mission last?

NASA has not yet provided a fixed date for Sunita William’s Butch Wilmore’s return. However, their arrival on Earth is expected after Crew-10’s launch and successful handover between Crew-9 and Crew-10. This is likely to be completed by late March or early April.

Is Sunita Williams happy in space?

The delay in Sunita and Butch’s return from space raised concerns that the duo were “stranded” or “stuck” in space. However, NASA and the two astronauts have rubbished the claims, saying they are enjoying their time in space.

Sunita Williams had once said, “This is my happy place. I love being up here in space. It’s fun…it adds a little different perspective.” She said it’s very peaceful in space a lot of times. “It’s really difficult for me to imagine people on Earth not getting along…it’s the one planet we have and we should all really be happy that we are there together…,” she added.

Is Sunita Williams healthy in space?

Meanwhile, pictures of Sunita Williams released by NASA last year alarmed netizens who expressed concerns about William’s health following her extended stay in space. “They look too thin and are living in a crowded cell,” one X user said.

Earlier, Dana Weigel, manager of the International Space Station, said the fitness routines of the two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, were “adjusted” as they shifted from a short-term mission to a longer-term mission.

“Exercise is optional for the very shortest duration missions, something like an eight-day mission. When we do long-duration, we switch them over to a standard long-duration mission. So, as they have been on board the ISS, we have adjusted their routines and so on,” Weigel had said.

How long did Sunita Williams spend in space?

Sunita Williams has so far spend over 500 days in space. According to NASA, Sunita Williams had earlier spent a cumulative total of 322 days in space. With the latest mission (which launched on June 5 last year), Williams has complete over 500 days in space.

What records does Sunita Williams hold in space?

Sunita Williams recently surpassed former astronaut Peggy Whitson’s total spacewalking time of 60 hours and 21 minutes. NASA astronaut Williams logged 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalking on Thursday (January 30), surpassing the record for the most time spent in the vacuum of space by a woman.

NASA announced the historic feat as it said Williams had completed nine spacewalks after the one she undertook on Thursday, while Peggy still has 10 spacewalks under her belt. This means that Whitson still holds the record for the most spacewalks by a woman at 10.

Is NASA or SpaceX bringing Sunita Williams back to Earth?

US President Donald Trump’s recently sparked confusion over the Sunita Williams’ return plan. Trump said he asked Elon Musk’s and SpaceX to “go get” the two NASA astronauts, who have been “abandoned in space” on the International Space Station, as soon as possible.

His statement came as NASA has already sent SpaceX Dragon spacecraft tasked to return the astronauts.

Following Trump’s remarks, NASA clarified that, “NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions.”

“NASA and SpaceX have been working together for over a decade! SpaceX has been delivering commercial resupply missions to the @Space_Station since 2012 and has been sending @Commercial_Crew missions to the station since 2020,” NASA said.