Name: SpaceX mission set to bring stranded Starliner astronauts home
Uploaded: 2025-03-12T14:28:43.439Z
Duration: 2 min 29 s
Description: A SpaceX mission slated for launch Wednesday could pave the way for the return of Boeing Starliner crewmembers Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams. CBS News senior national correspondent Mark Strassmann reports.

A SpaceX mission slated for launch Wednesday could pave the way for the return of Boeing Starliner crewmembers Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams. CBS News senior national correspondent Mark Strassmann reports.

Merritt Island

A SpaceX mission is scheduled for launch with the objective of bringing home crew members of the Boeing Starliner from the International Space Station. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have stayed at the ISS since June of the previous year, could be returning to Earth soon if the mission proceeds as expected. This mission is part of the regular rotation of astronauts traveling to and from the ISS.

Wilmore and Williams, originally scheduled for an earlier return, have become notable due to the extended duration of their stay, which some have alleged became a political issue. Claims have surfaced suggesting their extended stay was a result of inaction by the Biden administration, though the astronauts themselves have denied these claims, stating they are comfortable with the extension and are well-prepared for such situations.

The plan involves welcoming a new group of four astronauts to the ISS, who will replace those departing. Wilmore and Williams are expected to be among the returning crew. The handover procedure is projected to conclude within a few days, potentially allowing them to return to Earth shortly thereafter. Current expectations are that their return will happen no later than early to the middle of the next week.



SpaceX mission set to bring stranded Starliner astronauts home

A SpaceX mission launch slated for later today could pave the way for the crew of the Boeing Starliner to return home. Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams have been at the International Space Station since June of last year, but if everything goes as planned, the pair could be headed home in a matter of days. Let's bring in CBS News Senior National Correspondent Mark Strassman now. He is live for us at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This all sounds like good news, Mark. Remind us what the original purpose is for today's mission and how it might pave the way for the return of Butch and Sonny. Yeah, good to talk to you. The mission for today, tonight's launch, the group of four astronauts heading up to the space station really is unchanged. It's just part of the regular rotation of astronauts aboard the International Space Station. What is different is that two of the astronauts that they're going to replace have become very high profile over the last nine months or so, simply because their stay has been extended and their stay has become a bit of a political issue with claims by the Trump White House that they were abandoned or stuck in space because of inaction by the Biden administration. The astronauts themselves have told us that's not the case, that they've enjoyed their time in space, that they are built for adjusting to delays and extended stays like this. But all good things must come to an end. And so tonight, this launch of four astronauts will go up and sometime probably early next week, four astronauts will come back down to Earth and two of them will be Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams, the two astronauts who've been in space now for nine months. And Mark, you've always had consistent reporting when you've reminded us that there are always contingency plans when it comes to NASA missions. There was always plans B through Z, quite frankly. So what is the plan now to get them home? Well, the plan essentially is there will be a handover by the four astronauts who are leaving and the four astronauts who are arriving. That will last a couple of days. So Wilmore and Williams could be part of four astronauts coming back as soon as Sunday night. They could leave the ISS, which means they could be back on Earth as soon as Monday. But in any event, everyone sort of expects that they will be back on Earth no later than sometime early to the middle of next week. All right, we hope things work well. Mark Strassman with that live update from the Kennedy Space Center. Thank you, Mark.

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