The SpaceX Crew-9 mission, carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, was specifically launched to provide a safe return option for Williams and Wilmore.

What are the challenges? Are Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore alone inside the ISS? How long can they endure?

When Hague and Gorbunov return from the space station in February, they will bring back space veterans Williams and Butch Wilmore, whose stay on the ISS was prolonged for months due to problems with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft.