Stranded US astronauts to return to Earth on Tuesday: Nasa
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been on the ISS since June after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they were testing on its maiden crewed voyage suffered propulsion issues and was deemed unfit to fly them back to Earth. Photo / Getty Images
A pair of US astronauts stuck for more than nine months on the International Space Station will be returned to Earth on Tuesday evening (Wednesday NZT), Nasa said.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are to be transported home with another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon craft, which arrived at the ISS today.
The stranded duo have been on the ISS since June after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they were testing on its maiden crewed voyage suffered propulsion issues and was deemed unfit to fly them back to Earth.
Nasa said in a statement on Sunday evening that it had moved forward the astronauts’ anticipated ocean splashdown off the Florida coast to approximately 5.57pm Tuesday local time. It was initially slated for no sooner than Wednesday.
