Launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner on June 5, the mission encountered serious technical problems, including thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, which prevented their return.

Faced with the choice to attempt a risky re-entry or wait for a safe alternative, Williams and Wilmore opted to remain on the ISS and await a rescue via SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.

Recently released photos of the astronauts have sparked widespread public concern, particularly over Williams’ appearance, which has visibly changed during the extended stay.

The image quickly circulated on X (formerly Twitter), with users expressing their worries. “Suni Williams’ condition doesn’t look good,” one user commented. Another added, “It looks like those two American astronauts stuck in the ISS are not in good health, especially Suni Williams.”

Dr. Vinay Gupta, speaking to the Daily Mail, shared his professional perspective on the images: “What you’re seeing there in that picture is somebody that I think is experiencing the natural stresses of living at a very high altitude, even in a pressurized cabin, for extended periods.” He observed that Williams’ “cheeks appear a bit sunken,” which can occur with significant total body weight loss.

He went on to add, “I think what I can discern by her face and her cheeks being sunken in is that [she] has probably been at a significant [calorie] deficit for a while.” Nonetheless, Dr. Gupta offered some reassurance, noting, “I don’t think she’s quite at a… place where I say her life’s in danger. But I don’t think you can look at that photo and say she has sort of healthy body weight.”

NASA has scheduled their return for February 2025 aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, a decision confirmed by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson earlier this year. “NASA has decided that Butch and Suni will return with [SpaceX’s] Crew-9 next February, and that Starliner will return uncrewed,” Nelson announced, highlighting Boeing’s commitment to address the Starliner’s technical issues.

Reflecting on the challenges they’ve faced, Wilmore expressed gratitude for the safety measures and options available.

Speaking via video link during a recent press conference, he stated, as reported by The Independent, “Obviously, when you have issues like we’ve had, there’s some changes that need to be made. Boeing’s on board with that. We’re all on board with that.”

Wilmore acknowledged the risks involved in testing new spacecraft, remarking, “Starliner’s crewed test flight was meant to push the edge of the envelope… In this case, we found some things that we just could not get comfortable with putting us back in the Starliner.” He concluded on a positive note, saying, “There’s many cases in the past where there have not been other options. We were very fortunate that we have the Space Station and that we had the option to stay and we had the option to come back a different way.”