Astronauts have been stuck in space for almost 10 months: will they finally be brought home?

By Christina Horsten

Washington - Two US astronauts who have been stuck in the International Space Station (ISS) since June can now hope for an earlier flight home after all.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams (59) and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore (62) are due to return to Earth in March.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams (59) and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore (62) are due to return to Earth in March.  © John Raoux/AP/dpa

It has been decided to use an existing Dragon capsule instead of a new one to transport the astronauts, according to the US space agency NASA. This capsule could probably be available as early as mid-March instead of the end of March - "if the mission is ready by then".

The launch date for the so-called "Crew 10", consisting of US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers as well as Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, is currently set for March 12. A few days after the arrival of the relief crew at the ISS, the two stranded astronauts Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore will return to Earth together with their colleagues Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbunov.

Williams and Wilmore flew to the human outpost around 400 kilometers above the Earth in Boeing's "Starliner" at the beginning of June and were supposed to stay for around a week.

Due to technical problems with the Starliner, NASA decided to bring the spacecraft back to Earth empty in September.

US astronaut Suni Williams (59) during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station ISS.
US astronaut Suni Williams (59) during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station ISS.  © Uncredited/NASA TV/AP/dpa

Williams and Wilmore are experienced astronauts who have already been in space and on the ISS several times.

NASA has repeatedly emphasized that the two are trained for all eventualities.