Stranded Astronauts Finally Set To Return As SpaceX Takes The Lead

Two NASA astronauts who were left on the International Space Station (ISS) for months longer than expected will soon be returning to Earth. With no decisive action taken by the Biden administration, SpaceX took control of the mission to bring them home.

On Sunday, the SpaceX Crew-10 spacecraft successfully reached the ISS, replacing the crew that had been in orbit far beyond their intended mission. The relief team consists of NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi and Russia’s Kirill Peskov. Their arrival was met with relief as the station’s long-stranded occupants began final preparations for departure.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams had been stationed on the ISS since June, expecting to return within days. However, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that carried them there suffered technical failures, preventing it from safely bringing them back. With no immediate plan from the administration, their return was put on hold for months.

Fortunately, under policies introduced by Trump, private industry had already been given a greater role in space operations. This shift allowed SpaceX to step in and execute the mission that the administration had failed to organize.

NASA has scheduled Wilmore, Williams, Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov to return on March 18. The SpaceX Dragon capsule will undock from the ISS before descending into Earth’s atmosphere for a splashdown in waters off the Florida coast.

NASA will provide continuous coverage of the return, keeping the public updated on weather conditions and mission progress leading up to the landing.

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