WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A pair of NASA astronauts, who have been held up on the International Space Station since June, are expected to return to earth by Tuesday evening, according to NASA.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were forced to stay back in the space station for nine months, along with another NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, would depart the space station at 1:05 a.m. Tuesday, NASA said in its latest update.
The astronauts are scheduled to land at the splashdown locations off the coast of Florida at 5:57 p.m., pending weather conditions, the U.S. space agency said.
It will be followed by a media conference by top NASA and SpaceX officials.
Members of the Crew-9 mission were scheduled to depart the space station on Wednesday, but 'Mission managers are targeting an earlier Crew-9 return opportunity based on favorable conditions forecast for the evening of Tuesday,' NASA said.
Mission managers will continue monitoring weather conditions in the orbiting laboratory, as SpaceX Dragon spacecraft's undocking depends on various factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will confirm the specific splashdown location 'closer to the Crew-9 return.'
Before leaving the International Space Station, the crew has to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week.
Wilmore and Williams have been living and working aboard the station since docking on June 6, contributing to the expedition crew's research and maintenance activities, while helping ground teams collect critical data for long-duration Starliner flights to the orbiting complex.
The astronauts were supposed to return to earth on June 14, but after encountering technical issues, it was delayed.
Upon arrival, NASA and Boeing identified a number of helium leaks and thruster issues on the Starliner, forcing the astronauts to stay on the ISS.
By September, issues with the spacecraft led to NASA opting to send the vessel back to earth unmanned and leaving Wilmore and Williams waiting for the ideal situation.
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