After 287 days stuck in space, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore finally returned safely to Earth, ending a challenging journey with a series of serious technical problems.
From historic mission to “unstable” flight
The CST-100 Starliner spacecraft carrying astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore leaves Earth for the ISS (Photo: NASA).
On June 5, 2024, astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore left Earth aboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, marking the first manned flight of the Starliner airline to the International Space Station (ISS).
Previously, only national space agencies such as NASA (USA), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan) were capable of sending astronauts to the ISS. However, since the 2020s, the development of the commercial aerospace industry has opened a new era when private companies began to conduct crewed flights, aiming at space flight projects.
Boeing simply built on that success, repeated the model that SpaceX successfully applied, and wrote history.
Right at the moment of entering the spacecraft cabin, both Williams and Wilmore were aware that they were participating in a historic mission for Boeing in particular, and the entire aerospace industry in general, but perhaps none of them could have imagined its “crazy” scenario.
The flight to the ISS went smoothly. Both astronauts docked to the ISS amid cheers and welcomes from their colleagues. On Earth, Boeing celebrated as if they had just won the prestigious C1 Cup in the field of space exploration.
Two astronauts safely docked at the ISS, but could not return on schedule (Photo: NASA).
The media at the time wrote about Starliner as an important step in expanding America’s commercial space travel capabilities, as well as strengthening Boeing’s position in the aerospace industry.
However, just a few hours later, the joy was extinguished after the Starliner spacecraft began to reveal a series of technical problems.
Butch Wilmore was the first to notice strange noises coming from inside the Starliner, prompting NASA experts to immediately call Mission Control. “There’s a strange noise coming from the ship,” Wilmore said. “I don’t know what it is.”
Wilmore then inserted a recording device into the spacecraft, allowing Mission Control to monitor the vibrations occurring. Sensors detected a helium leak, affecting the propulsion system. In addition, some of the auxiliary engines were not operating properly, posing a major risk when returning to Earth.
In total, NASA teams have identified at least three serious incidents that have occurred on the spacecraft since launch. One of the incidents was discussed before the flight. The other two occurred after the spacecraft entered orbit.
NASA’s failed attempt to fix it
Impression of the Starliner spacecraft operating in Earth orbit (Photo: Boeing).
Initially, NASA and Boeing planned to work together to implement corrective measures on the ISS to ensure a safe return flight. However, as technical assessments were conducted, scientists realized that the Starliner’s condition was more complicated than expected, potentially making it dangerous if the spacecraft returned to Earth as originally scheduled.
As we all know, space has always been a dangerous environment, especially when a spacecraft malfunctions or a crew member encounters an accident. From real-life dangers documented throughout the history of space travel to fictional scenarios in science fiction movies, all show the harshness of space and the challenges that astronauts may face.
This led to one of NASA’s historic decisions, when it postponed the return journey of two astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. They will be forced to stay on the ISS longer than expected, while NASA and Boeing find a way to fix the problem.
Many discussions and options were put forward. Engineers proposed two possible options, which were to repair the engine system in orbit, or to attempt a return trip on another spacecraft. However, due to the complexity of the problem, the first option was quickly discarded.
At that time, NASA quickly searched for another spacecraft to bring the two stranded astronauts back to Earth safely, because the long mission time on the ISS also posed many challenges, especially the living conditions, psychology and health of the astronauts.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore adapt to life in space on an unexpected mission (Photo: NASA).
Initially, they considered using Roscosmos’ Soyuz spacecraft, but this option faced many obstacles, including differences in spacecraft design and strict safety procedures. Another option, proposed by NASA and SpaceX, was to use the Crew Dragon spacecraft as a rescue vehicle.
However, this means that the two astronauts will have to extend their stay to at least eight months. Previously, their mission was expected to last only eight days.
In September 2024, more than three months after being stranded on the ISS, the two astronauts sadly watched as Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, the same ship that had brought them to the ISS, officially departed the station. On this return trip, the ship did not carry any astronauts and landed safely at the White Sands Spaceport in New Mexico, USA.
Tensions grew as the international media focused on the appearance of the astronauts, especially Suni Williams, during a remote interview. Many speculated that Suni Williams may have suffered some sort of psychological or health problem from the prolonged work in zero gravity. Photos showed her looking tired and more wrinkled.
Butch Wilmore, however, dismissed the claim, insisting that they never felt “trapped”, “stuck” or “abandoned”. “We were prepared to stay for a long time, even though the original plan was to stay for a short time,” Butch Wilmore told a reporter.
Safe landing
The Crew Dragon “Freedom” spacecraft landed safely, ending the extraordinary journey of two stranded astronauts (Photo: NASA).
Finally, in the early morning of March 19 (Hanoi time), NASA and SpaceX successfully brought Williams and Wilmore back to Earth safely on the Crew Dragon “Freedom” spacecraft, ending a 9-month, 14-day (287-day) journey in space.
The Freedom spacecraft docked with the ISS last weekend, carrying the Crew-10 astronauts. Williams and Wilmore were the happiest, as they would be the ones who would use the spacecraft to fly back to Earth.
This event marked the third space flight for Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, bringing the total number of days Williams has lived outside of Earth to 608 days, second in the world, only behind the record holder Peggy Whitson (675 days). Wilmore also accumulated 464 days of space activities.
With Crew-9, SpaceX continues to affirm its important role in bringing astronauts to the ISS and landing them safely on Earth. This is the 9th operational mission and the 10th time SpaceX has conducted manned flights to the space station since 2020. The Crew Dragon “Freedom” has also conducted a total of 4 missions, including Crew-9 (2025), Crew-4 (2022) and 2 commercial flights of Axiom Space (2023 and 2024).
The arduous journey of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore finally ended safely. (Photo: Getty).
After landing, medical staff quickly approached to check on their health. Despite spending more than 9 months in orbit, both astronauts appeared to be in stable health. They were taken to NASA’s training center for further monitoring and recovery before returning to normal life.
The arduous journey of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore is a testament to the challenges that still face modern space travel, and it also highlights the importance of cooperation between space agencies such as NASA, SpaceX, Boeing and Roscosmos to ensure the safety of astronauts.
NASA’s decision to keep two astronauts on the ISS for nine months will certainly be controversial. On the other hand, no one can predict the fate of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore if they continue to sit on the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on the return flight.
Previous missions, such as the Apollo 13 incident in 1970, have also encountered unexpected obstacles, requiring astronauts and ground crews to demonstrate adaptability and flexibility.
