How much NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams paid after 9 month ISS ordeal

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday after nine months stuck in space – but they are set to receive a tiny amount of money for their extended stay

Two Nasa astronauts who were left trapped in space for nine months are likely to receive a small payout – even though the mission was supposed to last just eight days. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally left the International Space Station (ISS) in a SpaceX capsule on Tuesday, before parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico and splashing down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida.

The duo found themselves stuck in space after launching on Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule on June 5 last year. What was intended to be an eight-day trip to the space station extended to nine months, after the Starliner encountered problems with its propulsion system, leading NASA to send it back to Earth without any crew aboard.

According to NASA’s 2024 pay rates for astronauts, Wilmore and Williams earn approximately $152,258 a year. The rate will be adjusted to account for any increase in 2025. A NASA spokesperson told Fortune magazine that astronauts receive a 40-hour-per-week salary, with no extra pay for holidays or weekends.

While astronauts are in space, they are paid like any federal employees on a business trip, with NASA covering their transportation, lodging, and meals. Reports indicate that astronauts do not receive any overtime or hazard pay, despite the pair spending 286 days in space – 278 days longer than expected when they launched.

READ MORE: What 9 months trapped in space can do to the body as stranded NASA astronauts return frail and gaunt

The space agency revealed that the duo receive a daily allowance while in space, but as they are on long-term temporary duty, it only amounts to roughly $5 per day. This equates to about $1,430 for their entire nine-month stay, the opublication reports.

They returned to Earth alongside NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov, who had arrived in their own SpaceX capsule last year with two vacant seats reserved for the Starliner pair. “Welcome home, on behalf of SpaceX,” came the message from SpaceX Mission Control in California.

In January, President Donald Trump urged SpaceX founder Elon Musk to expedite the astronauts’ return, attributing the delay to the Biden administration. The replacement crew’s brand new SpaceX capsule wasn’t ready for flight, leading SpaceX to substitute it with a previously used one in an effort to save time.

During their time in space, Wilmore and Williams carried out experiments, repaired equipment and performed spacewalks together. Williams also set a record for the most time spent spacewalking over a career among female astronauts. SpaceX is set to launch NASA’s next crew as early as July.

In new images released by Nasa on Tuesday the astronauts were seen beaming from ear to ear after they touched back down on Earth, nine months after jetting off in June 2024. But during their trip, issue after issue cropped up and their return date kept being pushed back.

Images of the pair taken before they set off showed a fuller-faced Butch crossing his arms as they were photographed in a zero-gravity press shot, with Suni’s curly hair levitating up above her head. In the pictures taken yesterday, Butch is seen noticeably more gaunt, with many more wrinkles appearing around his eyes, nose and mouth.

Meanwhile, both of their faces appear drained. Butch’s reddish pallor and Suni’s darker complexion both looked noticeably more grey.

Suni’s hair, which was a dark brown-black before the flight, appears almost completely grey. Despite the big changes in their appearance, both astronauts looked jubilant in the photographs.