When NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched to the International Space Station ( ISS ) in June , they gestate to delay for just eight day before returning to Earth . But they ’re still there .

The pair were test out Boeing ’s novel Starliner space vehicle and were the first crew to fly aboard the vehicle . But their foreign mission took an unexpected turn when technological number egress with the spaceship ’s thrusters , and helium leaks were also detected . The problem inspire NASA officials to extend Wilmore and Williams ’ persist aboard the infinite station while engineers render to determine if the Starliner was safe enough to bring them home .

As the investigations continued , days rick into weeks . In August , NASA announce that the two astronauts would not be coming home on the Starliner and would instead have to hitch a drive on a devolve SpaceX Crew Dragon , pack the Crew-9 astronauts , in February 2025 at the earliest . The Starliner , meanwhile , was bring back to Earth uncrewed in September , with NASA ’s commercial crew political program manager Steve Stich describing the homecoming as “ darn near flawless . ”

Stich added : “ From a human perspective , all of us feel happy about the successful landing , but then there ’s a part of us … that [ wishes ] it would have been the way we had planned it … with Butch and Suni on board . ”

In a further eddy , NASA said just last hebdomad that Crew-9 would not be returning to Earthuntil March at the earliest . The decision to detain the return of Crew-9 — with Wilmore and Williams on board — make possible a handover period with the incoming Crew-10 astronauts , during which the existing crew can help the new arrivals ease into their stay aboard the orbital outpost .

Wilmore and Williams look to have stay incontrovertible about the unexpected situation , with the eight - day mission now having lasted more than six months . “ You have to grow the Thomas Nelson Page and front at the next opportunity , ” Williams said in September . “ We ’re actually aroused to fly in two different spacecraft … We ’re tester ”

Commenting in the same audience , Wilmore said he and Williams were “ very fortunate ” to be capable to safely stay on the ISS for an extended menses and to be able to return to Earth using a backup option , adding : “ There ’s many case in the past where there have not been other options . ”

So , rather than spend the holidays with their families and friends as they ’d originally expected , Wilmore and Williams stay on 250 miles above Earth , in microgravity conditions , perhaps dreaming about when they might really get back to terra firma .