After nearly nine months on board the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally returning to Earth. The two, who initially set off on a 10-day mission on June 5, 2024, were caught off guard by a delayed return due to technical problems with their spacecraft, the Boeing Starliner.

The mission was initially scheduled to take around a week, but issues with the Starliner made NASA stay for much longer. The spacecraft developed mechanical issues, rendering it unsafe to return immediately. This left Williams, 59, and Wilmore, 61, stuck in space as NASA figured out what to do.

Following months of debugging, NASA announced that Williams and Wilmore would leave the ISS on March 19, 2025, accompanied by fellow crew members Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. A relief team will assume duties on the ISS when they depart.

Are they getting paid extra for the extended stay?

One of the questions that has been going around is whether or not Williams and Wilmore will receive pay for their longer-than-expected mission. Although NASA astronauts are not normally paid overtime in space, they do earn a small per day daily stipend to cover incidental costs.

Former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman described, “There is some small amount of money per day for incidentals that they end up being legally obligated to pay you.” While NASA pays for necessities such as food, transport, and accommodations on missions, astronauts are given an extra $4 a day for incidentals.

Since Williams and Wilmore's stay lasted almost 300 days, they will get around $1,150 in extra pay.

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How much do NASA astronauts get paid?

NASA astronauts' salaries are determined by the U.S. government's General Schedule (GS) pay scale. 

Depending on their experience and assignments, they fall between the GS-13 and GS-15 levels:

  • GS-13 Salary – Ranges from $81,216 (around ₹6.7 million) to $100,579 (approximately ₹8.77 million) annually.

  • GS-15 Salary – Ranges from ₹7 million to ₹12.7 million per year.

Sunita Williams, classified as a senior astronaut at the GS-15 level, reportedly earns around $152,258 annually (approximately ₹1.26 crore), according to reports from ET.

Perks and benefits

Besides their basic pay, NASA astronauts enjoy various benefits:

Housing allowance – To support living costs.

Car loans – Preferential terms on car loans.

Health insurance – Thorough protection for the astronauts and their families.

Sunita Williams' net worth and career

Houston, Texas resident Sunita Williams, married to federal marshal Michael J. Williams, has an estimated net worth of approximately $5 million, reports Marca.com.

A veteran of the Navy, Williams has worked an illustrious career with NASA, going on several missions into space. She is also one of the most prolific female spacewalkers, having performed nine spacewalks totaling 62 hours and 6 minutes—positioning her fourth all-time in terms of hours spent in spacewalks and currently the record-holder for most hours spent by a woman. 

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