Los Angeles - Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who embarked on the inaugural crewed flight test of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the ISS, will remain there until early 2025 due to unresolved issues with their Starliner capsule.

NASA announced on Saturday that, given the uncertainty surrounding the Starliner, the space agency will use SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule to return the astronauts to Earth instead. The decision raises the question: What will Williams and Wilmore do during their extended stay in space?

Currently, the two astronauts are not part of Expedition 71, the official ISS crew, which includes seven international astronauts. However, NASA has reported that Williams and Wilmore have seamlessly integrated into the group, taking on everyday tasks aboard the orbiting laboratory. With their extended stay now confirmed, they are expected to transition into full-time expedition crew members, joining SpaceX’s Crew-9 astronauts, who are scheduled to launch on September 24.

As members of Crew-9 and the formal expedition, Williams and Wilmore will engage in typical crew activities, including conducting spacewalks, maintaining the space station, and executing a rigorous schedule of science experiments. According to Dana Weigel, NASA’s manager of the ISS Program, the astronauts were well-prepared for this possibility. “A couple years ago, we made the decision — knowing that this was a test flight — to ensure we had the right resources, supplies, and training for the crew, just in case they needed to be on ISS for a longer period,” Weigel said. “Butch and Suni are fully trained. They’re capable and current with EVA [spacewalks], robotics, and all the tasks we need them to do.”

SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission is a routine trip to the ISS designed to replenish the expedition staff. Initially planned to carry four astronauts, the mission will now launch with only two aboard. The remaining two seats will be occupied by ballast, or metal weights, to maintain the Crew Dragon’s center of gravity, as NASA detailed during an August news conference. Once at the ISS, the two Crew-9 astronauts will join Williams, Wilmore, and other members of Expedition 72, which will include Russian cosmonauts. Expedition 72 is expected to begin in September following a handover period.

Williams and Wilmore’s extended stay means they will be in space for a total of approximately eight or nine months. During this time, they will fall into the structured routine of the ISS crew, with their days mapped out hour by hour. Already, they have been contributing to the station’s upkeep, inspecting hardware, organizing cargo, checking on Starliner, and assisting with various science experiments and technology demonstrations.

Despite their unexpected long-term mission, Williams and Wilmore have found moments for lighter activities in microgravity. NASA shared footage of the astronauts mimicking Olympic events, such as discus and pommel horse, aboard the space station. Williams, known for her athletic prowess in space, previously completed a triathlon aboard the ISS in 2012 and ran along with the Boston Marathon from space in 2007.

Williams and Wilmore, who had logged a combined total of 500 days in space before this mission, are no strangers to extended stays. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, for example, set a U.S. record for continuous days in orbit after his stay aboard the ISS was extended to 371 days due to a coolant leak in his original return capsule. Williams and Wilmore’s situation underscores the unpredictability of space missions, where astronauts often have to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

One logistical challenge of their extended stay has been the absence of their personal belongings. NASA had removed their luggage from the Starliner to make room for a much-needed pump to fix a malfunctioning toilet aboard the ISS. However, a recent cargo resupply mission by Northrop Grumman brought some relief, delivering items such as clothes, personal food, and other comforts to the astronauts.

“We do like to keep our options open, so we have some items such as clothes and personal food items for Suni and Butch,” said Bill Spetch, NASA’s operations integration manager for the ISS Program. He added that the space station’s food reserves have been well-maintained, with recent deliveries including fresh produce like squash, radishes, carrots, blueberries, and apples.

Despite the challenges, NASA is keen to bring Williams and Wilmore home as soon as possible. “While they’re up there, we have extra crew, we have extra hands, and they can do a lot more work. But they’re also using up more consumables, more supplies,” said Ken Bowersox, NASA’s associate administrator for the Space Operations Mission Directorate. “We need to bring those folks home and get back to a normal crew size on the ISS.”