FLORIDA — After nine months onboard the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Cmdr. Barry "Butch" Wilmore and pilot Sunita "Suni" Williams are finally on their way home to Earth, along with the Crew-9 members.

What was originally supposed to be an eight-day test flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule, turned into an extended stay after the spacecraft experienced several issues. 

Wilmore and Williams, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts, saw a series of issues and problems with the maiden flight of Starliner during the first launch attempt in May of last year with a faulty pressure regulation valve on a liquid oxygen tank on Boeing’s Atlas V rocket.

A second launch attempt was planned but the infamous helium leak was discovered on the Starliner capsule named Calypso later in May.

The leakage prevented two more launch attempts with NASA confirming to Spectrum News that it would allow Starliner to launch with the helium leak.

Starliner finally took off on Wednesday, June 5, but the following day as it docked with the ISS, NASA crews discovered more helium leaks on the craft and five of the reaction control system thrusters had failed.

After re-starting that system, four of the five came back online and the fifth thruster was left off for the rest of the mission.

There were numerous teleconferences with the press where NASA and Boeing officials provided updates about the mission. During one meeting, NASA confirmed with Spectrum News that they were considering bringing home Wilmore and Williams on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.

After being deemed unsafe to return the pair by NASA, an empty Starliner undocked from the International Space Station in September 2024, where it safely landed in New Mexico.

As their original eightish-day mission turned into a months-long odyssey, Williams was made commander of Expedition 72. An expedition means the current crew in the International Space Station.

Williams and Wilmore became members of the Crew-9, joining NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Both Hague and Gorbunov were launched from the Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in September 2024.

Returning home

The four will close the hatch that connects the space station to their ride, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule named Freedom, on Monday at 10:45 p.m. ET, stated NASA.

At 1:05 a.m. ET, Freedom should undock from the Harmony module on the space station.

As Williams, Wilmore, Hague and Gorbunov take off, seven people will remain on the floating laboratory.

The Dragon is fully autonomous from the moment it undocks from Harmony to the splashdown, yet the crew can take control if needed.

But the ride down will be far more thrilling than a roller coaster ride. Using a series of parachute deployments, the Dragon will slow down from an orbital speed of about 17,500 mph (2,816 kph) to 350 mph (482 kph) to about 16 mph (25 kph) when it should softly land off the coast of Florida.

It is not known exactly where or when Freedom’s splashdown will take place since NASA is still currently figuring out the weather conditions at various destinations off of Florida’s coast.

“Mission managers will continue monitoring weather conditions in the area, as Dragon’s undocking depends on various factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will confirm the specific splashdown location closer to the Crew-9 return,” the U.S. space agency stated.

Depending on where the Dragon will soar over, some lucky people may hear a sonic boom.

Learn all about sonic booms here.

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