The short answer is no. They aren’t home. But "rescued" is a loaded word that makes NASA engineers incredibly twitchy. If you’re asking have the astronauts been rescued yet, you’re likely thinking of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the two seasoned pilots who launched on Boeing’s Starliner back in June 2024 for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission. It’s now 2026. They are still up there.
Technically, they aren't "stranded" in the Hollywood sense. They have food. They have oxygen. They’re actually working full-time as part of the Expedition 71 and 72 crews. But the ride they took to get there—the Boeing Calypso capsule—came back to Earth empty months ago because NASA didn't trust its thrusters to keep the crew safe during the fiery descent.
The long wait for a ride home
Space is hard. Really hard.
When Butch and Suni arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), the Starliner’s propulsion system started acting up. Helium leaks and failing thrusters turned a quick "taxi service" mission into a multi-year residence. After months of testing thrusters in the New Mexico desert and analyzing data, NASA made the call: Starliner was too risky for a crewed return.
So, they waited.
The plan shifted from a June 2024 return to a February 2025 return. They had to wait for a SpaceX Crew Dragon—the Crew-9 mission—to launch with two empty seats. Imagine booking a weekend trip to Vegas and being told you have to stay for eight months because your Uber broke down and the next one isn't coming until next year. That's the reality.
Why didn't they just send a rescue ship immediately?
You might wonder why NASA didn't just fire up a rocket the next day. Money and orbital mechanics. Mostly mechanics.
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Launching a rocket isn't like hopping in a car. You need a "launch window." The ISS is screaming around the planet at 17,500 miles per hour. To catch it, you have to time the launch perfectly. Plus, the docking ports on the ISS are limited. You can’t just park ten ships up there. They had to wait for the scheduled Crew-9 rotation to make sense of the logistics.
Life on the station when you weren't supposed to be there
Honestly, Butch and Suni are pros. They’ve both been to space before. They’ve spent thousands of hours in high-pressure environments. But even for them, this is a lot.
Think about the personal stuff.
- Clothes: They didn't pack for two years. They’ve been wearing ISS "community" gear and supplies sent up on cargo ships.
- Family: They’ve missed birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries.
- Radiation: Every extra day in space is more radiation exposure. NASA tracks this down to the millisievert.
The ISS is about the size of a six-bedroom house, but you're sharing it with several other people, and you can't go outside for a walk. They spend a huge chunk of their day exercising on specialized treadmills and weight machines because, without gravity, your bones basically turn into Swiss cheese.
The Boeing vs. SpaceX drama
The optics for Boeing have been, frankly, terrible. They are a century-old aerospace giant being bailed out by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. For years, the Commercial Crew Program was a race between the two. SpaceX finished first. Boeing hit delay after delay.
When Starliner finally flew with people, it was supposed to be Boeing's "we told you so" moment. Instead, it became a cautionary tale about software glitches and hardware reliability. NASA’s decision to use SpaceX for the "rescue" (even if they won't use that word) was a massive blow to Boeing's reputation in the space sector.
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What's actually happening right now?
As of today, the transition is finally moving into its final phase. Butch and Suni have integrated into the daily routine of the ISS. They aren't just sitting around watching movies. They are conducting science experiments, maintaining the station, and even participating in spacewalks.
They are part of the family now.
The question of have the astronauts been rescued yet will only be answered with a "yes" when we see those parachutes splash down in the ocean or land in the desert. Currently, they are scheduled to return on the SpaceX Dragon "Freedom" capsule.
The risks of the return journey
The return isn't a "gimme." Re-entry is the most dangerous part of any mission. The capsule hits the atmosphere at 25 times the speed of sound. Friction turns the air around the ship into plasma reaching temperatures of 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
NASA has run the numbers a million times. They believe the Crew Dragon is the safest bet. It’s a proven platform with dozens of successful flights. Still, the delay has added a layer of psychological pressure. You want to get home while you're still sharp, not when you're "space-weary."
The bigger picture for NASA
This whole saga has changed how NASA handles contractors. For a long time, there was this "too big to fail" mentality with the major players. This situation proved that redundancy—having both SpaceX and Boeing—was a smart move, even if one of them tripped at the finish line.
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If NASA hadn't funded two different ships, Butch and Suni would be in a much tighter spot. They might have had to rely on a Russian Soyuz, which carries its own set of geopolitical headaches.
What most people get wrong about this "rescue"
A lot of folks think the astronauts are "trapped" and panicking. They aren't. They are highly trained military test pilots. To them, this is just an extended deployment. They’ve stayed positive in every press conference, focusing on the science and the mission.
"We are here to do a job," Butch said during one of the few downlinks. That’s not just PR talk; it’s the mindset required to survive in an environment where a single mistake can kill you.
What happens next?
- Final Checks: NASA and SpaceX are currently finalizing the de-orbit burn parameters.
- The Handover: The current ISS crew is preparing the station for the next group of residents.
- Undocking: The Dragon will detach, back away slowly, and then fire its engines to drop out of orbit.
- Splashdown: Recovery teams are already on standby at various landing zones.
When that hatch opens and they breathe fresh, salty sea air for the first time in nearly two years, the "rescue" will be over. Until then, they remain the most famous "accidental" long-term residents of the high ground.
Actionable Next Steps
To stay informed on the actual touchdown time and the status of the return flight, you should monitor the official NASA TV schedule.
Don't just rely on social media rumors. Space flight is dynamic. A single weather system in the Atlantic or a minor sensor glitch can push a landing date by a week. If you want to see the return, set a Google Alert for "NASA SpaceX Crew-9 return schedule." Watching the live stream of the splashdown is the only way to truly know that the astronauts have been rescued.
Check the thermal protection system reports if you're a real space nerd; that's where the actual "safety" of the mission is decided. Once they clear the "blackout zone" during re-entry, you’ll know they’re home safe.