Suni Williams – Nine Months in Space

When NASA astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams travelled into space on June 5, 2024, she expected to be away for just over a week. Instead, she would spend more than nine months on the International Space Station. Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore were taking part in Boeing’s first crewed Starliner test flight, a mission intended to evaluate the spacecraft’s ability to safely transport astronauts to and from the space station. However, during the journey to the space station, engineers discovered additional helium leaks and problems with several of Starliner’s thrusters, which help control the spacecraft’s movement and direction. 

After further testing and review, NASA decided it would be safer for Starliner to return to Earth without the astronauts aboard. Williams and Wilmore remained on the space station, where they continued participating in scientific research, maintenance, and daily operations as part of the station’s crew. Despite the unexpected extension, both astronauts were safe and had access to the supplies and support needed while NASA arranged another way for them to return home. 

On March 18, 2025, Williams and Wilmore returned safely to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, completing a mission that lasted 286 days. What was originally planned as a short test flight became a much longer stay in space, drawing worldwide attention to the challenges of testing new spacecraft and the careful planning involved in astronaut safety.