You’ve probably seen the headlines. They look like something straight out of a Ridley Scott movie. Two people, orbiting the Earth, watching their ride home literally pull away without them. It sounds terrifying. But if you ask NASA or the people actually floating 250 miles above our heads, they’ll tell you "stuck" is a bit of a strong word. Still, when you're supposed to be gone for eight days and you end up staying for eight months, people start asking questions.
Specifically, they want to know where are the astronauts stuck in space and why they can't just hitch a ride back on something else immediately.
The two people at the center of this cosmic waiting game are Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. They are veteran Navy test pilots. They aren't rookies. They launched on June 5, 2024, aboard the Boeing Starliner. It was the first crewed flight for this specific spacecraft, a mission known as the Crew Flight Test (CFT). It was supposed to be the final "check-off" before Boeing could start regular taxi services to the International Space Station (ISS). Instead, it turned into a massive headache for Boeing and a very long camping trip for Butch and Suni.
The International Space Station: Their high-tech waiting room
Right now, Butch and Suni are living on the International Space Station. They aren't drifting in a dead capsule. They aren't rationing oxygen in a dark corner of the galaxy. They are in one of the most complex structures ever built by humans.
The ISS is huge. Imagine a five-bedroom house, but with more computers and way less gravity. It’s been continuously occupied for over two decades. They have a gym. They have a kitchen (sort of). They have internet access.
When the Starliner docked, it started having issues. Helium leaks. Thrusters failing. NASA engineers on the ground spent weeks—then months—trying to figure out if the ship was safe enough to bring the crew back. They ran tests at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, literally blowing up thrusters to see what went wrong. In the end, the risk was too high. NASA decided that the Starliner would return empty, which it did, landing safely but leaving its passengers behind.
So, while the world asks where are the astronauts stuck in space, the answer is actually quite mundane in the context of orbit: they are currently integrated into the Expedition 71/72 crew. They’ve gone from being "visitors" to full-time station staff. They’re doing science experiments, fixing broken plumbing, and managing the station's inventory.
Why Boeing's Starliner left them behind
It’s honestly a mess for Boeing. The company has been under a microscope for years now, mostly because of their commercial airplanes, but the Starliner program has been a series of unfortunate events. First, there was a software glitch in 2019 during an uncrewed test that meant the capsule never even reached the ISS. Then, they found flammable tape used throughout the cabin. Then, parachute issues.
By the time Butch and Suni launched, everyone hoped the drama was over. It wasn't.
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As the spacecraft approached the ISS, five of its 28 reaction control system thrusters failed. These are the tiny engines used for precision maneuvering. Then, the ground crews noticed helium leaks in the propulsion system. While the capsule technically could have probably made it back, NASA didn't want to gamble with human lives. The memory of the Columbia and Challenger disasters looms very large in the halls of the Johnson Space Center.
Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, was blunt about it. The uncertainty regarding the thrusters was just too high. If those thrusters failed during the critical deorbit burn, the results would be catastrophic.
The SpaceX rescue plan
So, how do they get down? This is where it gets a little awkward for Boeing. Their biggest rival, SpaceX, is the one providing the "Uber" home.
In late September 2024, SpaceX launched the Crew-9 mission. Usually, a Crew Dragon carries four people. This time, NASA sent it up with only two: NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. They left two seats empty specifically for Butch and Suni.
The plan is simple but slow.
The Crew-9 capsule is currently docked at the ISS. It will stay there until the end of its normal rotation. This means Butch and Suni won't feel Earth's gravity until February 2025.
Think about that for a second. You go away for a week-long business trip and you're told you can't come home for Christmas. Or New Year's. You're staying for Valentine's Day.
Life in the "Stuck" zone
People worry about their health. Space is brutal on the human body. Without gravity, your bones leak calcium like a rusty pipe. Your muscles start to wither because they don't have to fight against anything. Your eyeballs even change shape because the fluid in your head shifts upward.
Butch and Suni are professionals. They exercise for two hours every single day using specialized equipment like the ARED (Advanced Resistive Exercise Device). It uses vacuum cylinders to mimic the weight of a barbell. They eat vacuum-sealed pouches of shrimp cocktail and thermostabilized beef brisket. Honestly, the food has come a long way since the "paste in a tube" days of Mercury and Gemini.
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They also have a pretty incredible view. They see 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets every day. They can look out the Cupola—the station's bay window—and see the entire Amazon rainforest or the lights of London in a single glance.
The logistical nightmare of an extended stay
You can't just "stay" in space without planning. Everything on the ISS is calculated. Oxygen. Water (which is mostly recycled urine and sweat—yep, that's the reality). Food.
When NASA decided to keep them up there, they had to shuffle the supply chain. Cargo ships like the SpaceX Dragon and the Northrop Grumman Cygnus regularly visit the station. NASA had to send up extra clothes for Butch and Suni because they didn't pack for an eight-month stay. Imagine needing a change of underwear and having to wait for a rocket to launch from Florida to get it.
There is also the psychological toll. They are isolated. They are away from their families. While they can make video calls and send emails, it's not the same as being there. Suni Williams is known for her love of her dogs; she’s missing a lot of time with them. Butch is a family man. They are missing birthdays, anniversaries, and the small daily rhythms of life on Earth.
What this means for the future of Boeing and NASA
This situation has huge implications. NASA desperately wants two different American companies able to fly humans to space. They call it "redundancy." If SpaceX has a problem and their rockets are grounded, NASA needs Boeing to be ready.
But right now, that redundancy is a pipe dream. Boeing has to go back to the drawing board. They have to figure out why those thrusters overheated and why the seals failed. It’s going to cost them hundreds of millions of dollars—on top of the $1.5 billion in cost overruns they’ve already swallowed.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is looking like the reliable older brother. They’ve been flying crews since 2020. They’ve made it look easy, which, as we’ve seen with Starliner, it definitely is not.
How to track Butch and Suni
If you want to keep tabs on them, you actually can. You don't need a telescope, though it helps.
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- Spot the Station: NASA has a website called "Spot the Station." You put in your location, and it tells you exactly when the ISS will fly over your house. It looks like a very bright, fast-moving star. That’s where they are.
- NASA TV: They frequently do live downlinks. You can watch them talk to students or perform maintenance.
- Social Media: Both Butch and Suni have periodically shared updates or photos from the station.
Moving forward: The return journey
The next big milestone is February 2025. That is when the SpaceX Dragon Crew-9 capsule will undock. Butch and Suni will climb in, strap into seats that weren't originally meant for them, and begin the high-speed plunge through the atmosphere.
They will hit the air at 17,500 miles per hour. The outside of the capsule will heat up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. If everything goes right, they’ll splash down in the ocean off the coast of Florida.
They won't be "stuck" anymore. But they will have to spend months in physical therapy to get their "Earth legs" back.
Actionable steps for the curious
If you're fascinated by this saga, don't just read the doom-scrolling headlines. Here is how to actually engage with the science:
- Download the ISS Detector app: It will ping your phone whenever the station is overhead. Seeing it with your own eyes makes the "where are the astronauts stuck in space" question feel a lot more real.
- Check the NASA SLS/Orion progress: Starliner isn't the only ship in development. Look into the Artemis missions, which aim to put people back on the moon using a different set of hardware.
- Support space research: The experiments Butch and Suni are doing right now—like studying plant growth in microgravity—are what will eventually get humans to Mars.
Ultimately, Butch and Suni are doing exactly what they trained for. They are explorers. And sometimes, exploring means staying a little longer than you planned because the road home is still being built. They aren't victims of space; they are the pioneers making sure the rest of us can eventually follow.
The situation is a reminder that space is hard. It is unforgiving. It doesn't care about corporate deadlines or mission schedules. But as long as there are people like Butch and Suni willing to stay "stuck" for the sake of safety and science, the future of space travel remains bright.
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