Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore who have been in the International Space Station since June 2024, are now expected to return after March 2025 and not February 2025 as anticipated earlier.
On December 17, 2024, NASA announced on its official page that NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 is expected to launch four members to ISS to bring back Williams and Wilmore "no earlier than late March 2025". According to NASA,
"The change gives NASA and SpaceX teams time to complete processing on a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission. The new spacecraft is set to arrive to the company’s processing facility in Florida in early January(...) After careful consideration, the team determined that launching Crew-10 in late March, following completion of the new Dragon spacecraft, was the best option for meeting NASA’s requirements and achieving space station objectives for 2025."
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore reached the ISS for an eight-day test mission in Boeing’s Starliner before the spacecraft could receive approval from NASA for "routine flights". But, unfortunately, due to technical issues with the spaceship, the duo couldn't come back and the eight-day mission has now extended to about 9 months.
According to The Guardian, NASA informed that a SpaceX delivery was made in late November to the ISS, which contained supplies for the crew's extended stay in space, including water, oxygen, and even holiday special items.
Many health professionals are concerned about the astronaut's health as an extended stay in space can be mentally and physically deteriorating. This concern also reached the general public once the photo of Williams after months in space was released, which led people to speculate that she had lost weight and was in poor health.
According to reports, the public's speculations regarding Sunita Williams's health were refuted by both Williams herself and NASA. Williams also informed that she is doing regular exercises and weight training to maintain her fitness.
Sunita Williams and crew celebrate Christmas in space
Meanwhile, Sunita Williams, who has been sharing snippets from her life in a spacecraft, also shared how their Christmas looks on a Spacecraft. NASA shared William's message from the ISS, where she celebrated Christmas along with other astronauts in the ISS, the Economic Times reported.
Welcome to the International Space Station as we get ready for the Christmas holidays. It's a great time up here, we get to spend it with all of our 'family' on the International Space Station. There are seven of us up here and so we're going to get to enjoy company together - Sunita Williams
In the two-minute video, Sunita Williams also talked about her favorite part about celebrating Christmas. The crew also thanked the ground support for working around the clock to "keep the mission going".
According to one of the crew members, the SpaceX Dragon capsule from NASA that reached the ISS in late November also had food for the crew to feast during Christmas.
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According to reports, NASA also announced that the astronauts would be having a day off on Christmas, though they are required to complete their exercise regime, which is necessary to maintain their muscle and bone strength.
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