NASA 'Stranded' Astronauts to Return to Earth Tomorrow

NASA has announced that the two astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station for over nine months will return to Earth on Tuesday.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will return alongside two other astronauts from the United States and Russia aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which docked with the station on Sunday morning.

Both astronauts have remained on the orbital laboratory since June. 

In a statement on Sunday evening, NASA announced that it expects the Crew Dragon spacecraft to land at 5:57 PM Tuesday (21:57 GMT).

The agency had previously stated that the astronauts' return was planned to begin on Wednesday.

NASA explained that the revised return schedule allows the space station crew sufficient time to complete handover tasks, noting that "weather conditions are expected to be less favorable later in the week."

Joining Wilmore and Williams on the return trip will be American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov from Roscosmos. 

The journey will be broadcast live, starting Monday evening as preparations begin to seal the spacecraft’s hatch.