Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore were meant to spend about a week in space. They’ve been stuck for nine months — but may soon be on their way home.

NASA and SpaceX will count down today to a long-awaited crewed rocket launch that will allow them to bring home US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck on the International Space Station for nine months.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent his well wishes to the crew of the SpaceX-NASA mission to retrieve the two stranded astronauts on the International Space Station ahead of their launch tonight. Both of the stranded astronauts are former Navy officers and several of the astronauts on their way to retrieve them are active-duty military members.

NASA and SpaceX on Wednesday delayed the launch of a replacement crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station that would have set in motion the long-awaited homecoming of U.S. astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck on the ISS for the last nine months, will now have to wait until at least next Wednesday to return to Earth.

SpaceX delayed the launch of a new crew to the International Space Station on Wednesday in a mission that would pave the way for marooned astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to finally return home.