At long last, Starliner astronauts prepare for their journey home: 'We're coming back'

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the crew of the doomed Boeing Starliner spacecraft, are ready to finally come home.

When the two veteran NASA astronauts made it to the International Space Station in June, their stay was only supposed to last a mere few days until they returned again as part of the first crewed flight test of the Starliner vehicle.

That, of course, isn't what happened.

For months, the two veteran NASA astronauts have instead had little choice but to make the best of their unexpectedly lengthened stay aboard the orbital outpost. In that time, they've bridged international divides – connecting with Russian cosmonauts – they've participated in a number of science experiments; they've experienced an incredible perspective of the cosmos during spacewalks; and, in Williams' case, have even broken a few records.

But now that their return to Earth is in sight, they can't help but think about reuniting with their families and friends.

"It's been a rollercoaster for them probably a little bit moreso than for us," Williams said during a Tuesday news conference from orbit, which was broadcast on NASA's streaming service. "The hardest part is having the folks on the ground have to not know exactly when we're coming back."

Williams and Wilmore were joined during the news conference by astronaut Nick Hague, who, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, is part of a SpaceX mission known as Crew-9. Together, the four spacefarers are set to return this month aboard the Dragon capsule that transported Hague and Gorbunov to the station in September.

USA TODAY's exclusive: Starliner astronauts 'focus on the now' during extended stay on ISS

What happened with the Starliner?

As the two astronauts selected for the Starliner's first crewed flight test, Wilmore and Williams launched in June on a mission to test a vehicle intended to one day join the SpaceX Dragon in transporting NASA astronauts to orbit.

Their return home, however, was delayed when NASA uncovered technical issues with Boeing's spacecraft that ultimately forced the space agency to send the Starliner back to Earth in early September without its crew.

The SpaceX Dragon selected as the vehicle to instead bring Williams and Wilmore back to Earth has since been at the station since late-September after arriving with the Crew-9 mission. Under NASA's plan, that vehicle transported a truncated crew of two astronauts instead of a full contingent of four to leave empty seats for Williams and Wilmore on the return trip.

The Starliner crew members were then folded into the Crew-9 mission, whose spacefarers are continuing to serve out the full duration of their orbital stay.

Donald Trump, Elon Musk comment on 'abandoned' Starliner astronauts

Williams and Wilmore, experienced astronauts who are both on their third venture to the space station, have also found themselves unintentionally at the center of drama in recent weeks as their plight has become politicized.

Both President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have made comments suggesting the astronauts were "abandoned" or "stuck" in space while claiming their delayed return was politically motivated. Trump and Musk's claims on Jan. 28 came hours after Williams and Wilmore joined their fellow two Americans on the space station for an exclusive interview with USA TODAY.

The notion that Wilmore and Williams are stranded at the space station is one that has been difficult for NASA and the astronauts to put to rest. But the astronauts have routinely sought to set the record straight when asked, including most recently during a February appearance on CNN with host Anderson Cooper.

"We don't feel abandoned, we don't feel stuck, we don't feel stranded," Wilmore told Cooper on Feb. 13 after the host asked a question referencing Trump's comments.

When Trump and Musk's assertions were once again referenced in multiple questions posed by reporters during Tuesday's news conference, Wilmore, who fielded the questions, struck a diplomatic air in his answers.

"We know what we've lived up here, we know the ins and outs and the specifics that they may not be privy to," Wilmore said, referring to Trump and Musk. "And I'm sure they have some issues that they are dealing with, information they have that we're not privy to ... we support our nation's leaders and we're thankful for them."

When does the Crew-10 mission launch for the ISS?

Before the Starliner crew members can depart with the Crew-9 team, they must await the arrival of the mission's successors.

The Dragon capsule transporting the four-member crew of Crew-10 is due to launch as early as March 12 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA said in a mission blog update. As the name suggests, the mission is the 10th rotation mission to the station under NASA's commercial crew program.

"We're going to hand the baton to Crew-10 and we are going to return to Earth at the end of a successful long-duration mission," Hague said Tuesday.

When will the Starliner astronauts return to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon?

Once the new astronauts arrive, a few days of handover activities will occur before Williams and Wilmore can join Crew-9 in the SpaceX Dragon to undock from the International Space Station.

Wilmore previously told CNN that the return voyage could possibly take place March 19.

During Tuesday's news conference, Williams was asked what lasting impression she'll leave the space station with, especially if it's the last opportunity she has to go to orbit.

"The fact that we're living up here in this very unique place gives you an amazing perspective," Williams said. "I don't want to lose that spark of inspiration and that perspective when I leave, so I'm gonna have to bottle it somehow."

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Starliner astronauts ready to depart ISS at long last: 'We're coming'