NASA astronauts stuck in space admit its 'tough' not returning to Earth
ITV News Correspondent Neil Connery reports on the two astronauts stuck in space
Two NASA astronauts stranded in space until next year said it was tough watching their Boeing capsule return to Earth without them.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams made their first public comments after the Boeing Starliner capsule that carried them to the International Space Station on June 6 returned to Earth.
They stayed behind after NASA decided the capsule, plagued with thruster failures and helium leaks, was too risky for them to ride back in.
The two Starliner test pilots, both retired Navy captains and veteran NASA astronauts, will remain at the space station until late February 2025 - stretching their original eight-day mission to more than eight months.
They have to wait for a SpaceX capsule, set to launch later this month with a crew of two, leaving two empty seats for Wilmore and Williams on the return trip.
Speaking at a press conference from the International Space Station on Friday, Williams said: “That’s how it goes in this business. You have to turn the page and look at the next opportunity.”
Wilmore said he did not feel left down by Boeing but admitted to “tough times”.
“It’s been quite an evolution over the last three months, we’ve been involved from the beginning through all the processes of assessing our spacecraft, Calypso," he said.“And it was trying at times. There were some tough times all the way through.“You certainly, as the commander and the PLT of your spacecraft, you don’t want to see it go off without you, but that’s where we wound up.”
Asked if he felt let down by Boeing, Wilmore replied: “Let down? Absolutely not. Never entered my mind.”
Wilmore and Williams are now full-time station crew, helping with routine maintenance and experiments.
Along with seven others, they welcomed a Soyuz spacecraft earlier this week carrying two Russians and an American aboard, briefly raising the station's population to 12 - close to a record.
Williams, whose soon to take over as station commander, said the shift to station life was “not that hard” as both she and Wilmore had served there before.
“This is my happy place. I love being up here in space,” she said.
The pair appreciated the prayers and support from strangers back home.
Wilmore said she will miss important family moments, including his youngest daughter’s final year of high school.
The astronaut added: “I miss my two dogs, I miss my friends.
“But you know what? Like Butch said, there are so many people on Earth that are sending us messages."
NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing as an orbital taxi service a decade ago after their shuttles retired. SpaceX has been flying astronauts since 2020.
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