NASA and SpaceX are intending to return left astronauts Sunita Williams and Bobby Williams earlier than originally planned. They are accelerating the next crew rotation missions both to and from the International Space Station (ISS).

Launch and return timeline

NASA has announced that the Crew-10 mission is now targeting a March 12 launch, pending mission readiness and final certification of flight readiness. This signals a sooner timeline than the late March forecast. NASA said late on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the Crew-9 mission—comprising Williams, Wilmore, NASA astronaut Nick Hague, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—is scheduled to return to Earth after a short handover time with the following Crew-10 team.

Mission adjustments and spacecraft selection

Originally, NASA had intended to send a fresh Dragon spacecraft for Crew-10, but mission management chose to change this plan on account of more processing time needed for the new vehicle. The mission will instead use the already flown Dragon capsule "Endurance." 

NASA and SpaceX teams are at present examining the components of the spacecraft to make sure they satisfy the tough safety and certification requirements of the agency's Commercial Crew Program.

Elon Musk on astronaut delay

The pressure regarding Williams and Wilmore's return has been noticed at the highest positions. United States President Donald Trump encouraged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to help their return be as swift as could be.

Musk said of the situation: "It’s terrible" that the two astronauts have been "stranded" at the ISS for so long. However, NASA had already engaged SpaceX months ago to ensure their return as part of the Crew-9 mission.

Starliner delays put astronauts on hold

Originally flown to the space station aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, Williams and Wilmore have been there since June last year owing to technical problems with it. The postponements in their comeback have pointed out issues with NASA counting on several commercial partners for crewed spaceflight.

The astronauts should get back to Earth soon, ending their unanticipated extended stay in space now that SpaceX is pushing the mission schedule.

Read: ISS recycles Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore's sweat and urine into fresh water: Report