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NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally preparing to return to Earth after spending over nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS)—far longer than originally planned. Their extended mission was due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which was supposed to bring them back just a week after they arrived in June last year.
The Starliner, on its first crewed test flight, suffered propulsion problems, making it unsafe for their return journey. As a result, NASA had to find an alternative solution, which has now arrived in the form of a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that will ferry them back along with another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut.
Do Astronauts Get Paid Overtime for Staying Longer in Space?
Many might wonder whether Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will receive extra pay for their unexpected additional months in space. The answer, however, is no—NASA astronauts do not receive overtime pay like employees in other professions.
Former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman explained that astronauts receive a regular salary, with all mission expenses covered, including transportation, lodging, and food. However, there is a small daily allowance for incidentals.
“There is some small amount of money per day for incidentals that they end up being legally obligated to pay you,” Coleman told Washingtonian.com. “For me, it was around $4 a day.”
Using this calculation, during her 159-day mission in 2010-11, Coleman received $636 (around ₹55,000) in additional pay. By the same estimate, after spending 287 days in space, Williams and Wilmore would earn approximately $1,148 (around ₹1 lakh) each in incidental compensation.
How Much Does Sunita Williams Earn?
Reports suggest that Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are at the GS-15 level—the highest rank under the General Pay Schedule (GS) for US government employees.
- GS-15 salaries range from $125,133 to $162,672 (approximately ₹1.08 crore to ₹1.41 crore), depending on experience and seniority.
- Based on their nine-month extended stay in space, their prorated salary would be between $93,850 and $122,004 (around ₹81 lakh to ₹1.05 crore).
- Adding the $1,148 (around ₹1 lakh) incidental pay, their total earnings for the mission could range from $94,998 to $123,152 (approximately ₹82 lakh to ₹1.06 crore).
However, these calculations do not account for any changes in NASA’s daily allowance since 2011. Inflation or policy updates could have increased the incidental compensation, meaning their actual extra pay might be higher.
When is Sunita Williams Returning to Earth?
NASA has confirmed that Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will return to Earth on Tuesday, March 18, in the evening (GMT). Initially scheduled for Wednesday, their return was moved up due to changing weather conditions.
NASA’s official statement confirmed that the astronauts will splash down in the ocean off the Florida coast at approximately 5:57 PM GMT on Tuesday (3:27 AM IST, March 19).
To keep space enthusiasts updated, NASA will provide live coverage of the SpaceX Crew-9 return mission. The broadcast will begin with hatch closure preparations at 10:45 PM EDT on Monday, March 17 (8:30 AM IST on March 18).
A Long Mission Finally Ends
Originally, Williams and Wilmore were only meant to stay in space for a week. Instead, they marked nine months aboard the ISS, making this one of the longest recent stays in orbit for NASA astronauts.
Now, with their safe return finally confirmed, excitement is building among their families, NASA teams, and space enthusiasts worldwide. After an unexpectedly long journey, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will finally step back onto Earth, bringing their historic mission to a close.
