They aren’t actually "stranded." That’s the first thing you need to know, even though every headline from here to the Moon says otherwise. NASA prefers the term "uncrewed return" for the ship and "extended stay" for the humans. But if you’re Butch Wilmore or Suni Williams, and you were supposed to be gone for eight days but end up staying for eight months, it kinda feels like being stranded.
The short answer is no. As of early 2026, the specific situation involving the Boeing Starliner crew has finally resolved, but the fallout is still rattling the aerospace industry. Butch and Suni didn't come back on the ship they rode up on. That's the kicker. They had to wait for a literal "Uber" in the form of a SpaceX Dragon capsule, which is basically the ultimate awkward moment for Boeing’s PR team.
Why have the stranded astronauts returned so much later than planned?
It all started with a leaky valve. Well, several of them. And some thrusters that decided to quit right when they were needed most. When the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) launched in June 2024, it was supposed to be the victory lap for a decade of development. Instead, it turned into a nightmare of helium leaks and "Aerojet Rocketdyne" thruster failures. NASA engineers spent weeks—months, actually—running tests at White Sands, New Mexico, trying to replicate the thruster issues on the ground. They couldn't guarantee that the ship wouldn't lose control during the high-stakes deorbit burn.
NASA is obsessed with safety. Rightly so. After the Challenger and Columbia disasters, the culture at the agency shifted toward extreme caution. Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, had to make the call. It wasn't an easy one. Boeing insisted the ship was safe. NASA’s own engineers weren't so sure.
In the end, the Starliner "Calypso" undocked empty. It landed in New Mexico without a hitch, which almost makes the whole thing more frustrating. It could have brought them home. But "could have" doesn't fly in space flight. You need "will."
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The SpaceX Rescue Mission
SpaceX ended up being the hero, or the annoying overachiever, depending on who you ask. To get Butch and Suni back, NASA had to shuffle the manifest for the Crew-9 mission. They launched a Dragon capsule with two empty seats. Imagine being the two astronauts who were bumped from that flight to make room for the Starliner crew. That’s a tough phone call to get.
The return wasn't immediate because you can't just "swing by" the International Space Station (ISS) and pick someone up like a carpool. Orbital mechanics is a beast. You have to wait for the right windows, dock, integrate the new crew into the existing mission, and then wait for the standard six-month rotation to end.
- The Ship: SpaceX Crew Dragon.
- The Wait: Over 240 days in total.
- The Mood: Professional, but definitely ready for a real shower and some gravity.
Suni Williams actually took over as commander of the ISS during her "bonus" time. If you're going to be stuck in a tin can moving at 17,500 miles per hour, you might as well be the boss.
The Toll of an Unexpected Year in Space
Living in microgravity isn't a vacation. Your bones start to leak calcium like a rusty pipe. Your eyeballs literally change shape because fluid shifts to your head. Suni and Butch had to maintain an insane exercise regimen—two hours a day of lifting weights and running on a treadmill strapped down with bungee cords—just to keep their muscles from turning into jelly.
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Then there’s the food. ISS food is fine for a week. For eight months? You’d kill for a pizza that isn’t a dehydrated tortilla with squeeze-tube sauce.
The psychological aspect is something NASA’s behavioral health teams watched closely. These are veteran test pilots. They have the "Right Stuff." But missing birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays because your ride home broke down is a lot to ask of anyone. They stayed busy. They did science. They fixed the station’s temperamental plumbing (the Urine Processor Assembly is a frequent culprit). But the relief when the Dragon capsule finally splashed down was palpable.
Boeing vs. SpaceX: The New Space Race
This wasn't just about two people. It was about the future of how we get to space. NASA paid Boeing $4.2 billion to develop Starliner. They paid SpaceX $2.6 billion for Dragon. SpaceX has been flying crews since 2020. Boeing is still struggling to get a single successful crewed mission in the books.
The "stranded" narrative was a PR disaster for Boeing, especially coming on the heels of their issues with the 737 Max. It raised questions about "cost-plus" contracts versus "fixed-price" contracts. When Boeing hits a snag, they eat the cost. And they’ve eaten billions so far.
Is Starliner dead? Not yet. NASA wants two different ways to get to the ISS. They don't want to be reliant on Elon Musk alone, and they certainly don't want to go back to buying seats on Russian Soyuz rockets. But the road to Starliner-1 (the first "real" operational mission) is now much longer and paved with a lot more paperwork and testing.
How the return actually happened
The descent is the scariest part. You’re hitting the atmosphere, and the friction creates a plasma field that cuts off all communication. For those few minutes, the world just waits.
When the Crew-9 Dragon hit the water, the recovery teams were there in minutes. The "stranded" astronauts were finally back on Earth. But they didn't just walk off the boat. After months in space, your inner ear is a mess. You feel like you weigh a thousand pounds. You're dizzy. You're nauseous. The "return" is a process that takes months of physical therapy.
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Honestly, the bravery here isn't just in the flying. It’s in the waiting.
What we learned from the Starliner delay:
- Redundancy is king. If NASA hadn't hired two companies, Butch and Suni would have been hitching a ride on a Soyuz, which is politically... complicated right now.
- Software is as dangerous as hardware. Many of Starliner’s issues traced back to how the ship’s "brain" interpreted sensor data.
- The ISS is aging. Having extra crew on board put a strain on the life support systems, specifically the carbon dioxide scrubbers. It was a live test of the station's limits.
Moving Forward After the Return
Now that the crew is home and the dust has settled, NASA is looking at the 2030 decommissioning of the ISS. We’re moving toward private space stations like Orbital Reef or those planned by Axiom Space.
The question of whether the "stranded" astronauts returned is a closed chapter, but the lessons are being written into the protocols for the Artemis missions to the Moon. If this happened on the way to Mars, there would be no SpaceX Dragon to come to the rescue. You’re on your own out there.
If you’re following this because you’re worried about future missions, keep an eye on the upcoming Starliner certification flights. NASA hasn't given up on Boeing yet, but the leash is incredibly short. The next flight will likely require a complete overhaul of the thruster pods, which isn't a quick fix.
Next Steps for Space Enthusiasts:
- Check the NASA Launch Schedule: Look for "Crew-10" and "Crew-11" dates to see how the rotation has stabilized.
- Monitor Boeing’s Financial Reports: Specifically their defense and space division, to see if they continue to fund Starliner.
- Watch the Artemis II Progress: This will be the first time humans head toward the Moon in over 50 years, and the safety protocols are being rewritten based on the Starliner "stranded" situation.