NASA Astronauts Delayed in Space Until Spring 2025, Christmas in Orbit!

NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore are still stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) much longer than they planned. They were supposed to come back to Earth after one week, but now their return has been pushed to Spring 2025—almost 10 months in space!

The astronauts launched to the ISS on June 5 in a Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which had a lot of problems after it landed back on Earth without them. Because of these problems, NASA decided it was not safe for Suni and Butch to return in the Starliner. Thankfully, Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, stepped in to help. They changed plans to let Suni and Butch use seats on a Crew Dragon capsule for a ride back home.

Originally, they were expected to return in February, but now it’s delayed to late March or even early April because SpaceX needs more time to get the capsule ready. Instead of rushing, NASA chose to keep Williams and Wilmore in space a bit longer to ensure everything goes smoothly.

While they wait, the astronauts are getting into the holiday spirit! After celebrating Thanksgiving on the ISS, they’re preparing for a fun Christmas in space. They plan to connect with their families through video calls before the big celebration.