12-02-2025
MA astronaut Sunita Williams has new return date after being stuck in space. Here's when
Two astronauts that are still stranded on the International Space Station (ISS), including Massachusetts native Sunita L. Williams, may be home earlier than expected.
The astronauts have been stuck on the ISS since June due to problems with their spacecraft Boeing's Starliner.
The problems included helium leaks in the propulsion system and the failure of five thrusters. Four of the thrusters were restored and one was turned off for the rest of the mission, according to NASA.
Here's more about the situation, and when the two astronauts are expected to be back on Earth.
NASA stated the new date is March 12, 2025.
The initial return date was mid-June 2024, but after the latest delay back in December, the mission was scheduled to return by April 2025.
Boeing's Starliner departed Earth on June 5, 2024 in a mission that was only supposed to be a brief one. The mission was originally scheduled to be eight days but the return has been delayed three times.
Many space station missions last six months, with a few reaching a full year. The delay is not going to hurt the two astronauts physically, Dr. Simeon Barber, from the Open University, told BBC news.
"I'm sure that they are already disappointed that they were going to miss Christmas back home with the folks," Barber told BBC news in December. "But this is only another two months on an already quite long mission, and I'm sure if you ask them, I'm sure they would tell you that the space station is where they love to be."
Williams considers her hometown to be Needham. She graduated from Needham High School in 1983, according to NASA.
Williams went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Physical Science, from the U.S. Naval Academy, 1987 and Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology, 1995. She was selected as an astronaut by NASA in June 1998.
Williams is a veteran of two space missions. She is currently serving as the pilot of the Crew Flight Test mission aboard the Starliner. It is the first crewed flight for that vehicle.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: MA astronaut to return after months stuck on ISS. Here's when
