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NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are safely back on Earth. They returned on SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon on March 18, 2025, after NASA decided Boeing’s Starliner was not sufficiently reliable for a crewed return from the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts were unexpectedly kept in orbit for 286 days, but this was a planned change of return vehicle—not a last-minute rescue from an immediately life-threatening emergency.
What happened to the Starliner astronauts?
Wilmore and Williams launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner on June 5, 2024, for the spacecraft’s first crewed test flight. The mission was meant to last roughly eight to 14 days and demonstrate Starliner’s ability to carry astronauts to and from the ISS. They reached the station on June 6, after the spacecraft encountered helium leaks and reaction-control thruster problems during its approach. NASA’s Starliner FAQ describes the mission and its anomalies.
After weeks of analysis and testing, NASA announced on August 24, 2024, that Starliner would return without its crew. Wilmore and Williams stayed aboard the ISS as members of its Expedition 71/72 crews and were assigned seats on SpaceX’s Crew-9 return flight. Starliner undocked and landed autonomously at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. NASA records the landing as 10:01 p.m. MDT on September 6; some records give September 7 because that was the date in UTC. NASA’s announcement of the decision explains the change in plan.
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Crew-9 launched on September 28, 2024, with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. NASA reduced the launch crew from four to two to leave room for Wilmore and Williams on the return leg. After Crew-10 arrived for the station handover, Crew-9 splashed down safely on March 18, 2025, carrying all four astronauts. Wilmore and Williams had spent 286 days in space, completing 4,576 Earth orbits and traveling about 121.3 million miles, according to NASA’s return announcement.
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What went wrong with Starliner?
During the flight to the ISS, Starliner experienced helium leaks in its service-module pressurization system and degraded or malfunctioning reaction-control thrusters. The thrusters help orient and maneuver the spacecraft; reduced thrust also affected its ability to control movement in all six degrees of freedom. Teams regained control, and Starliner ultimately docked with the station. The spacecraft remained there for months before making its uncrewed return.
Those facts matter because “Starliner failed” can imply the vehicle was lost or wholly uncontrollable. Neither happened. Starliner launched, reached and docked with the ISS, then completed an autonomous return and landing. What it did not demonstrate was enough reliability for NASA to approve the planned crewed trip home. NASA’s concern was not proof that Starliner would certainly fail during reentry; it was unresolved uncertainty about the propulsion system and whether it would perform as needed.
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NASA and Boeing reviewed flight data, conducted ground tests and analyzed the propulsion system. NASA concluded it did not have sufficient confidence and expert concurrence to accept the added risk of a crewed return. The agency chose to bring Starliner back empty, allowing engineers to collect data without exposing the astronauts to that uncertainty. NASA’s closeout of the uncrewed flight confirms that the spacecraft landed safely.
Was this a rescue?
“Rescue” is understandable shorthand for a dramatic change: two astronauts expected home in days stayed in orbit for months and returned in another company’s spacecraft. But it suggests a sudden emergency response that does not fit what happened. Wilmore and Williams had shelter, food, communications and a place in the station’s crew rotation. NASA planned their return months ahead and incorporated them into an already scheduled commercial crew mission.
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The change still required practical adjustments. Crew-9’s planned four-person launch was reduced to two, and NASA adapted seats, cargo and Dragon-specific spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams. They carried out research, maintenance and expedition duties while aboard the ISS. More accurately, SpaceX became their return provider after NASA ruled out a crewed Starliner landing; Crew-9 was not an improvised launch to save astronauts from an immediately failing spacecraft.
Why NASA’s decision mattered
NASA faced a choice: accept the remaining propulsion uncertainty on a crewed Starliner return, or extend the astronauts’ stay until a Dragon was available. The ISS could support them, and Crew-9 could be adjusted. Returning Starliner uncrewed also offered a way to gather more information. NASA chose the option it judged to carry less unnecessary risk to the crew, even though it meant a major schedule change and a much longer mission.
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The flight also exposed a weakness in the Commercial Crew Program’s goal of having two independent U.S. systems for ferrying astronauts to the ISS. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon was operational; Boeing’s Starliner had not completed the crewed test needed for certification. The availability of Dragon gave NASA another way to return the astronauts, but the episode showed that a second provider is useful only when its spacecraft has demonstrated the required safety and reliability.
What NASA’s 2026 investigation found
NASA released its investigation on February 19, 2026, and classified the test flight as a Type A mishap—the agency’s highest-level mishap designation—because of the potential for significant consequences and associated financial damage. The designation does not mean the astronauts were injured or the spacecraft was destroyed. There were no injuries.
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The report went beyond the visible helium leaks and thruster problems. Investigators identified interacting hardware failures, gaps in qualification and testing, leadership and decision-making errors, and organizational and cultural breakdowns. NASA also acknowledged its own responsibility alongside Boeing’s. The agency’s investigation summary sets out the findings and mishap classification.
Is Starliner canceled?
The available NASA material does not establish that Starliner has been permanently canceled or provide a confirmed date for another crewed flight. NASA says it intends to work with Boeing to understand and correct the problems, with another flight dependent on readiness. A June 2026 NASA Office of Inspector General report said Starliner’s human-rating certification remained unresolved as of March 2026. It cited continuing technical and schedule challenges, including helium leaks, propulsion-system failures and parachute anomalies, and raised concerns about sustained ISS transportation through 2030.
The clearest account is neither “two astronauts were abandoned” nor “nothing went wrong.” Starliner encountered serious problems and did not earn approval for a crewed return on this test flight. NASA kept the astronauts on the station, sent Starliner back empty and later brought the crew home on Dragon. The astronauts were safe; the spacecraft’s crewed-return objective was not achieved.
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