NASA astronauts speak after unexpected 9-month stay on the International Space Station

Nicole Mortillaro · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 31, 2025 5:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

On June 5, 2024, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore soared into a bluish entity successful a caller Boeing capsule called Starliner. Their mission? To trial the spacecraft, dock with the International Space Station (ISS), and past instrumentality location a fewer days later.

Instead, the brace returned successful a SpaceX Crew Dragon on March 18 — much than 9 months later.

On its inaugural mission, Starliner, oregon CST-100, had experienced respective problems, including helium leaks and thruster issues.

Between Boeing and NASA, on with Williams and Wilmore, it was decided it would beryllium champion to instrumentality the capsule without the crew, owed to information concerns.

It was safely brought home in September, with the astronauts near to hold for an alternate thrust back.

WATCH | Astronauts Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams exit SpaceX capsule aboard betterment vessel: 

It was wide reported crossed societal media and quality outlets that the astronauts were "stuck" oregon "stranded" connected the ISS. But successful their archetypal quality league since returning, some Williams and Wilmore said they didn't consciousness that way.

"We heard astir that," Williams laughed, speaking successful response to that communicative connected Monday.

Wilmore said it was each astir planning.

"We've said this before: We had a plan, right? The program went mode disconnected for what we had planned. But due to the fact that we're successful quality spaceflight, we hole for immoderate fig of contingencies," helium said. "Because this is simply a curvy road. You ne'er cognize wherever it's going to go."

Instead, Williams and Wilmore formally became portion of the Expedition 71/72 crew, moving and conducting experiments 

They even conducted a spacewalk successful January, preparing a spare elbow associated for the Canadarm2 robotic arm. It was the ninth spacewalk for Williams and the 5th for Wilmore.

The comforts of home

While they said they enjoyed their clip connected the ISS and the enactment they did, they were blessed to instrumentality to the comforts of home. The archetypal things they wanted to do?

"I wanted to hug my hubby and hug my dogs. And I'll accidental successful that bid … possibly not," Williams said, laughing. "No, I'm conscionable joking."

And arsenic a vegetarian, she said she besides enjoyed a grilled food sandwich.

For Wilmore, it was a small different.

"Certainly embracing the household again," Wilmore said. "But besides the opportunity — and I've already said it a mates of times — just to accidental convey you to a federation that got progressive successful each of this. It makes it special, not conscionable for us, but for all."

When asked however hard it was being distant from friends and household for much longer than planned, Wilmore admitted it was "difficult."

"It wasn't successful the preparation," helium said. "But successful my family, we speech astir these possibilities. We discussed each of this. We ne'er said we were going to beryllium gone for 9 months — but it turned retired that way."

Though they missed retired connected Thanksgiving and Christmas with their families, they said they inactive had a bully clip celebrating the holidays.

"We really had a reindeer that we built and rode similar a bull," Wilmore said. "But we celebrated successful style, spot me."

It was besides made easier erstwhile crewmate Nick Hague arrived astatine the abstraction presumption connected Sept. 28; Williams said he'd brought up a fewer surprises.

"He was similar Santa Claus. [He] had his small container of goodies for each of us, and it was beauteous awesome to person the holidays up there," Williams said. "It's beauteous unsocial and not galore of america get to bash that."

As for reconditioning and adapting backmost to gravity, Williams said she's been adjusting well.

"Our teams present are getting america acceptable to get acceptable to instrumentality connected caller challenges," Williams said. "So, you know, feeling bully since we've been backmost astir 2 weeks now. I really went retired and ran 3 miles yesterday. So I volition springiness myself a small pat connected the back."

So would they alert connected Starliner again?

"Yes, due to the fact that we're going to rectify each the issues that we encountered. We're going to hole it. We're going to marque it work," Wilmore said. "Boeing's wholly committed. NASA is wholly committed. And with that, I'd get connected successful a heartbeat."

Williams agreed.

"Yeah, I would," she said. "The spacecraft is truly capable. There were a mates things that request to beryllium fixed … and folks are actively moving connected that, but it's a large spacecraft."