If you’ve been scrolling through news feeds lately, you’ve probably seen some version of the question: are the astronauts back on Earth? It sounds like a simple yes-or-no thing. It isn't. The answer actually depends entirely on which specific group of people you’re talking about, because the International Space Station (ISS) has been a bit of a crowded house lately.
NASA recently brought home the SpaceX Crew-8 team after a marathon stay. They splashed down off the coast of Florida in October 2024. But the names everyone is actually worried about? Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. They are still up there.
They went up for an eight-day test flight. It’s been months.
Basically, space travel is hard. We tend to forget that because SpaceX makes it look like a Tuesday morning commute. But when Boeing’s Starliner capsule started leaking helium and popping thrusters like cheap fireworks, the plan changed. NASA decided the risk was too high to put Butch and Suni back on that ship. So, the Starliner came back empty—a "ghost ship" landing in the New Mexico desert—leaving its human cargo behind.
The Starliner drama that changed everything
When people ask are the astronauts back on Earth, they’re usually thinking of Suni and Butch. Their ride home—the Boeing Calypso—is already on the ground. It landed at White Sands Space Harbor in September 2024. But it landed without them.
Think about the psychological shift there. You pack a bag for a week. You bring enough socks for eight days. Then, suddenly, your boss tells you that you’re staying for eight months. NASA’s leadership, specifically Steve Stich (the Commercial Crew Program manager) and Ken Bowersox, had to make a gut-wrenching call. They chose the "uncrewed return" path.
It was the right move.
During the return flight, more thrusters failed. If humans had been on board, it might have been fine, or it might have been catastrophic. NASA doesn't do "might have been" when it comes to lives anymore. Not after Challenger. Not after Columbia.
So, where are they? They are integrated into the ISS crew. They aren't "stranded" in the way a movie like The Martian depicts it. They have food. They have oxygen. They have email. But they are definitely not back on Earth yet.
When are the astronauts coming back?
The current schedule has Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returning in February 2025.
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To make this happen, NASA had to get creative with SpaceX. The Crew-9 mission, which launched in September 2024, went up with two empty seats. Usually, a Dragon capsule carries four people. This time, it only carried Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov. Those two empty seats are the "bus tickets" for Butch and Suni to finally come home.
It’s a bit of a logistics nightmare.
- SpaceX suits don't work in Boeing ships.
- Boeing suits don't work in SpaceX ships.
- NASA had to fly up SpaceX-compatible pressure suits specifically for the Starliner duo.
Life on the ISS is rigorous. It’s not just floating around eating freeze-dried ice cream. They are performing science experiments, maintaining the station, and exercising for two hours a day just to keep their bones from turning into Swiss cheese. Suni Williams recently made headlines because people were worried about her weight loss in photos. NASA medical teams shot that down, saying she's in great health, but it highlights the physical toll of an unplanned extension in microgravity.
What about the SpaceX Crew-8 team?
If you saw headlines saying "The astronauts are back," they were likely referring to Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin. They returned in late October 2024.
Their homecoming wasn't exactly smooth either.
After spending 235 days in space—a record for a US crew vehicle—their Dragon capsule, Freedom, hit the water off Pensacola. But instead of the usual "hero's welcome" and immediate press conference, the entire crew was taken to a local hospital in Florida. NASA was incredibly vague about why. They cited "crew privacy" and only mentioned that one astronaut remained overnight for observation before being released.
It was a stark reminder. Even when the answer to are the astronauts back on Earth is "yes," the journey isn't over. Re-entry pulls massive G-forces. Your blood volume has dropped. Your balance is shot. Coming home is often more dangerous than being there.
Why Boeing is struggling while SpaceX soars
It is honestly wild to see the disparity here. Boeing is a century-old aviation titan. SpaceX was a "disruptor" that people laughed at twenty years ago. Now, NASA is literally using SpaceX to rescue Boeing’s crew.
The Starliner issues were technical and systemic.
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- Helium Leaks: The manifold system that pushes fuel to the thrusters couldn't stay sealed.
- Thruster Degradation: The "doghouse" units that house the thrusters got too hot. When they get hot, the Teflon seals can bulge, choking off the fuel flow.
NASA engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center and Johnson Space Center spent weeks running tests in New Mexico, trying to replicate the failure on the ground. They couldn't get a "100% certainty" answer. In the space business, if it's not a "yes," it's a "no."
The human cost of the wait
Suni Williams is now the commander of the ISS. She's a veteran. She's tough. Butch is a former Navy test pilot. If anyone can handle a "deployment" extension, it’s these two. But they missed Thanksgiving. They missed Christmas. They’ll miss New Year’s.
They’ve been using their time to do things like "BioFabrication Facility" work—basically 3D printing human organ-like tissues in space to see how they grow without gravity. It’s vital work. But let’s be real. They want a shower. They want to walk on grass. They want to eat something that wasn't rehydrated from a pouch.
Tracking the next return window
So, if you are checking the calendar, here is the roadmap for when we can finally say all the astronauts are back on Earth:
The Crew-9 Dragon is currently docked at the ISS. It serves as the "lifeboat" for Hague, Gorbunov, Wilmore, and Williams. If an emergency happens tomorrow—like a massive debris strike—all four of them pile into that SpaceX ship and head home.
But if everything stays "nominal" (NASA speak for "going okay"), they will stay until the end of the Crew-9 mission duration. We are looking at a splashdown in February 2025.
Why can't they just come back now?
You can't just "order an Uber" from the ISS. Every mission is a carefully choreographed dance of orbital mechanics and logistics.
Bringing them back early would disrupt the entire science schedule of the station. More importantly, it would leave the ISS understaffed for the complex maintenance tasks required to keep the multi-billion dollar tin can running. NASA operates on a "handover" principle. You don't leave the shop empty.
The bigger picture of Commercial Crew
This whole saga has ignited a massive debate about the Commercial Crew Program. The goal was to have two independent ways to get to space. Redundancy. If SpaceX had a problem, we’d use Boeing. If Boeing had a problem, we’d use SpaceX.
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Well, the theory worked. We had a backup. But the fact that the backup (SpaceX) is now the primary and the primary (Boeing) is essentially on probation is a huge blow to Boeing’s reputation. They are currently facing a $125 million "reach-forward" loss on the Starliner program, bringing their total losses on the project to over $1.5 billion.
Space is no longer a government-only playground. It’s a business. And right now, business is hard for the old guard.
What you should watch for next
If you want to stay updated on whether the astronauts are back on Earth, keep your eyes on the NASA "Social" feeds and the SpaceX launch manifest.
The next big milestone is the launch of Crew-10, currently slated for early 2025. That launch will be the signal that Crew-9 (and our "extended stay" friends Butch and Suni) are preparing to pack their bags.
Actionable Insights for Space Enthusiasts:
- Follow the "ISS Above" Tracker: You can see exactly when the station is flying over your house. If you look up at the right time, you’re looking at Butch and Suni’s current home.
- Check the NASA Live Stream: They often broadcast the astronauts working. You can literally see them in real-time.
- Don't trust "Stranded" headlines: They aren't stranded; they are "unplanned long-duration crew." It sounds like semantics, but in terms of safety and resources, it’s a massive difference.
- Watch the suit-up: When the Crew-9 departure finally happens, watch the live feed. Seeing Suni and Butch in SpaceX suits will be the final visual proof that the Boeing era of this mission is officially over.
The situation is fluid. Space is unpredictable. But as of this moment, the "Starliner Two" are still orbiting at 17,500 miles per hour, waiting for their February ride.
Next Steps for Staying Informed:
To get the most accurate updates, bookmark the NASA Kennedy Space Center newsroom page. Avoid tabloid sites that use the word "stranded" for clicks. Instead, look for updates regarding the Crew-9 undocking schedule. This is the specific technical event that will finally bring the astronauts home. You can also monitor the SpaceX "Returns" mission page, which provides real-time telemetry once the capsule actually begins its de-orbit burn. Knowing the difference between a "De-orbit Burn" and "Re-entry" will help you understand the most dangerous 20 minutes of their entire eight-month journey.