Space is hard. We’ve heard that cliché a million times, but for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, it’s not just a saying—it’s a daily reality on the International Space Station (ISS). If you’ve been scrolling through news feeds lately, you’ve probably seen the headlines asking why are the astronauts stranded and when they’re actually coming home.
The short answer? A brand-new spacecraft developed a case of the "shimmies" at the worst possible time.
Butch and Suni launched on June 5, 2024, on what was supposed to be an eight-day "taxi ride" to the ISS. It was the Crew Flight Test (CFT) for Boeing’s Starliner. They were meant to test the seats, the life support, and the docking tech, then head back down to a desert landing in the American West. Instead, their eight-day trip turned into an eight-month residency. Because of some finicky thrusters and a few pesky helium leaks, NASA made the call that Starliner was too risky for a human crew on the return leg.
It’s a wild situation. Imagine checking into a hotel for a weekend and being told you’re now a permanent resident because your car’s engine might explode on the drive home.
The technical gremlins: Helium and thrusters
So, let's get into the weeds of why are the astronauts stranded in the first place. This wasn't just one freak accident; it was a series of small, cascading failures that made NASA’s safety engineers very nervous.
As Starliner approached the ISS back in June, five of its 28 reaction control system (RCS) thrusters just... quit. They failed. These are the tiny engines that allow the capsule to maneuver with precision. While the ground crew managed to reset four of them, the underlying cause was a mystery. Later, testing at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico revealed that a small Teflon seal inside the thrusters was heating up and bulging, physically choking off the fuel flow.
Then came the helium. Helium is used to pressurize the fuel lines. Before launch, there was one known leak. NASA and Boeing decided it was manageable. But once they got into orbit? Four more leaks popped up.
NASA's Associate Administrator Ken Bowersox and Steve Stich, the manager of the Commercial Crew Program, had a tough choice. Boeing argued the ship was safe. They pointed to the data. They did the simulations. But NASA has a long, painful history with "normalization of deviance"—the habit of letting small problems slide until they become catastrophes. They remembered Challenger. They remembered Columbia.
In the end, the culture of "safety first" won out. NASA decided that while Starliner might be fine, "might" isn't good enough when lives are on the line. They sent the Starliner capsule back to Earth empty in September 2024, and it actually landed safely. But by then, the decision was made. Butch and Suni were staying.
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Life on the ISS when you weren't invited to stay
You might wonder if they’re just sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Not even close.
The ISS is a massive, orbiting laboratory, and it always needs maintenance. Butch and Suni are veteran Navy test pilots. They don’t panic. They just get to work. Since their arrival, they’ve been integrated into the Expedition 71 and 72 crews. They’re doing science experiments, fixing plumbing (yes, space toilets break), and managing cargo.
The psychological toll is the part we don't talk about enough. They missed the holidays. They’re missing birthdays. They’re living in a space roughly the size of a six-bedroom house with seven to nine other people. Privacy is a luxury.
Honestly, they seem to be taking it better than the public is. During a few press conferences from orbit, Suni Williams mentioned that she loves being in space and that "this is my happy place." It’s a testament to their training. You don't become an astronaut if you aren't okay with a little bit of chaos.
The SpaceX "Rescue" Mission
To get them home, NASA had to pull a bit of a diplomatic maneuver. They turned to Boeing's rival: SpaceX.
The Crew-9 mission, which launched in late September 2024, was originally supposed to carry four astronauts. NASA kicked two people off that flight—Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson—to leave two empty seats for Butch and Suni.
It was a bittersweet moment. Cardman and Wilson had trained for years for that mission, but they stepped aside so their colleagues could have a ride home. That’s the reality of the astronaut corps. It’s a team sport.
Currently, the Crew-9 Dragon capsule is docked at the ISS. It’s essentially their lifeboat. If there was an emergency on the station today, Butch and Suni would pile into that Dragon. But their official, scheduled return isn't until February 2025. By the time they splash down off the coast of Florida, they will have spent over 240 days in space.
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Why this matters for the future of spaceflight
This isn't just a Boeing problem; it's a "how we get to space" problem.
For years, NASA relied on the Space Shuttle. After that retired in 2011, we were stuck hitching rides on Russian Soyuz rockets. To fix this, NASA started the Commercial Crew Program, giving money to both SpaceX and Boeing so we’d have "redundancy." The idea was that if one ship broke, the other could keep flying.
Well, the theory was tested, and it worked. Because we had SpaceX, we didn't have to ask the Russians for help.
However, Boeing is in a tough spot. Starliner is a fixed-price contract. Every delay, every redesign, and every "stranded astronaut" headline costs them millions. There are serious questions about whether Boeing will even continue with the program after this. If they pull out, we’re back to a monopoly with SpaceX, which is exactly what NASA wanted to avoid.
It's also a wake-up call about the hardware. We are transitioning from "experimental" spaceflight to "operational" spaceflight, but the tech is still temperamental.
Misconceptions about the "Stranded" label
Let's clear something up: they aren't "stranded" in the sense that they are in danger of starving or floating away. The ISS is well-stocked. Resupply ships from Northrop Grumman and SpaceX arrive regularly with fresh fruit, clean clothes, and new gear.
They have internet. They can call their families. They can even watch movies.
The term "stranded" is more about the loss of autonomy. They can’t leave when they want to. They are beholden to orbital mechanics and the schedules of multi-billion dollar corporations.
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What comes next for Butch and Suni?
Right now, the focus is on the February 2025 return. Between now and then, there’s a lot of prep work.
They have to maintain their bone density and muscle mass. Spending eight months in microgravity is brutal on the human body. Without the constant pull of gravity, your bones leak calcium and your muscles wither. They spend at least two hours a day on specialized treadmills and weight-lifting machines (which use vacuum cylinders to create resistance).
When they do come back, they’ll face months of physical therapy. They’ll have to "relearn" how to walk and balance.
As for the question of why are the astronauts stranded, it will likely be the subject of Congressional hearings and internal NASA audits for years. It’s a story of engineering hubris, safety culture, and the incredible resilience of the people who actually sit on top of the rockets.
Practical takeaways from the Starliner situation
While most of us aren't planning a trip to the ISS, there are some real-world lessons in how NASA handled this:
Redundancy is king. Always have a Plan B. NASA’s decision to fund two different spacecraft saved this mission from being a total disaster. In your own life—whether it's data backups or career paths—having a "SpaceX" to your "Boeing" is just smart planning.
Listen to the "Quiet Voices." During the Starliner discussions, there were engineers who were deeply uncomfortable with the thruster data. NASA leadership listened to them instead of just the managers who wanted to stay on schedule. In any project, the person pointing out the flaws is often your most valuable asset.
Accepting the "Pivot." Butch and Suni didn't spend their time complaining. They pivoted from "test pilots" to "full-time station crew." Resilience isn't about avoiding the problem; it's about finding a way to be useful once the plan goes sideways.
To keep up with the return schedule, you can follow the official NASA ISS blog or the SpaceX mission updates. The February 2025 splashdown will be a massive media event, marking the end of one of the most unexpected chapters in modern space history. Look for updates on the "Crew-9 Return Mission" as the window approaches.