Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will have to wait a bit longer to return to Earth.
On Tuesday, Dec. 17, NASA announced that the spacecraft that will ferry four astronauts to the International Space Station to retrieve Williams and Wilmore -- who have been in space since June -- won't be ready to launch until "no earlier than late March 2025."
The veteran astronauts were originally slated to return sometime in February, NASA previously said.
According to the space agency, the delay gives NASA and SpaceX teams time to "complete processing" on a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission, offering "the best option for meeting NASA's requirements and achieving space station objectives for 2025."
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"Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail," said Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet in support of our missions and the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as we work together to complete the new capsule's readiness for flight."
The new spacecraft is scheduled to arrive in Florida by early January, NASA said.
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Over the past few months, Williams, 59, and Wilmore, 61, have discounted claims that they are "stranded" -- and have been taking full advantage of their extra time in space.
In November, the crew aboard the ISS shared how they celebrated Thanksgiving in space.
"We have a bunch of food that we've packed away that is Thanksgiving-ish," Williams told NBC News. "Some smoked turkey, some cranberry, apple cobbler, green beans and mushrooms and mashed potatoes."
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Williams was planning to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, she told the outlet.
The duo has also been keeping up with their fitness since being in space takes a toll on muscle mass, and Williams has rebuked claims that she has lost weight while experiencing zero gravity for an extended period.
"We're feeling good, working out, eating right, it's just awesome," Williams said in an interview with Lester Holt on NBC Nightly News in November. "We have a lot of fun up here too. People who are worried about us, really, don't worry about us ... we're a happy crew up here."