Stranded NASA Astronauts Await SpaceX Rescue After Boeing Starliner Delay

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) since early June 2024, are finally set to return home. Their initial week-long mission was extended due to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which experienced helium leaks and thruster malfunctions during their flight. SpaceX's Crew Dragon "Endurance" is scheduled to launch on March 13 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to bring a new crew to the ISS and return Wilmore and Williams. The launch is scheduled for 12:48 AM on March 13, Italian time. The "Endurance" will carry NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. NASA decided it was unsafe for Wilmore and Williams to return on the Starliner, opting to bring it back unmanned. The extended stay has been prolonged by delays in preparing the Crew Dragon. NASA chose to reuse the "Endurance" capsule, which has flown before, to expedite the mission.