Surprising Details About Stranded Astronauts’ Likely Earnings Revealed
on Mar 19, 2025
Astronauts Suni Williams And Butch Wilmore Were Stranded In Outer Space For Nine Months
After spending nine months “stranded” in outer space, you’d think that NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore would be due to receive some hefty earnings. But the opposite is the case.
Williams and Wilmore launched into space on the Boeing Starliner capsule on June 5, 2024. They were originally supposed to “spend just over a week” visiting the International Space Station. Then, they planned to get back on the Starliner and return to Earth.
The astronauts were expected back home on June 14, 2024.
However, the Starliner had several problems. NASA decided to bring the Starliner back to Earth by remote control without Williams and Wilmore onboard.
The astronauts then found themselves “stranded” on the International Space Station. While they started off their stay as guests, they eventually started working alongside the other astronauts on the ISS.
During her time in space, Williams set the record for the “most time spent spacewalking over a career among female astronauts.” She spent a total of 62 hours spacewalking.
NASA Astronauts Finally Return To Earth
Elon Musk‘s company, SpaceX, started working on a new capsule to bring Williams and Wilmore home. After he was inaugurated, President Trump called on Musk to move the process along. So SpaceX sent a used capsule, named Dragon, to outer space to bring Williams and Wilmore home.
Dragon arrived at the ISS with Crew-10 on Saturday (March 15). Then, around 10 PM on Monday (March 17), Dragon left the ISS with Williams and Wilmore onboard and bound for Earth.
Two days after Crew-10 arrived at the @Space_Station, Dragon and Crew-9 are set to depart on Tuesday, March 18 → https://t.co/ZZEmGU8Aar pic.twitter.com/Qrpd1Rq40j
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 17, 2025
Dragon made splashdown off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, on Tuesday (March 18) at 5:57 ET. In a remarkable moment, a pod of dolphins swam up to the capsule to greet the crew upon their return to Earth.
“The unplanned welcome crew! Crew-9 had some surprise visitors after splashing down this afternoon,” NASA’s Johnson Space Center wrote alongside a video they shared on X of the dolphin welcoming committee.
Former Astronaut Offers Insight Into Suni Williams And Butch Wilmore’s Potential Earnings
Despite being stranded in space for nine months, the astronauts’ earnings will likely not be as high as you’d expect.
Former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman discussed the potential payments Williams and Wilmore may receive for their 286 days in space. She said the astronauts would receive their regular salaries, but without overtime pay.
CNBC reports Williams and Wilmore hold GS-15 rankings. That means they are in the highest tier of the U.S. General Pay Schedule. Their base salaries range between $125,133 to $162,672 per year.
Williams and Wilmore can expect a payment for incidentals, but it won’t be very high.
“There is some small amount of money per day for incidentals that they end up being legally obligated to pay you,” Coleman said. “For me, it was around $4 a day.”
Coleman went on a 159-day space mission in 2010 through 2011. She received approximately $636 in incidental pay. Based on that knowledge, CNBC estimates Williams and Wilmore may receive $1,148 each in addition to their regular salaries.
With the incidental payment factored in, CNBC estimates the astronauts’ total earnings from their prolonged mission may range between $94,998 and $123,152.
Watch a report about Williams and Wilmore’s return to Earth below.
