Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded at the International Space Station for nine months, will finally return to Earth on Tuesday, one day earlier than expected.

SpaceX surprised astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been on the International Space Station since last June, during their recent rescue mission.

Butch and Suni' Astronauts Prepare for Tuesday Homecoming After Nine-Month Mission By Joey Roulette WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, two NASA astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station for nine months,

NASA removed two astronauts from its Crew-9 mission to allow for Williams and Wilmore to join the cohort, and return onboard the SpaceX Dragon − which carries four people at a time. The altered Crew-9 − only Hague and Gorbunov − launched aboard the SpaceX Dragon Freedom in late September.

SpaceX delivered a four-person crew to the International Space Station early Sunday, setting the stage for Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams to depart.