Will Sunita Williams Receive Overtime Pay For Her 9-Month Stay In Space? Here's How Much She'll Earn

Last Updated:March 17, 2025, 14:38 IST

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stuck in space for over nine months, are expected to return to Earth on March 18.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Sunita Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. (NASA)

After spending over 287 days at the Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally set to come home as a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft arrived at the station to take them to the Earth.

The duo were supposed to stay in space for just over a week, but technical problems with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft forced them to extend their visit. NASA has now confirmed that the astronauts will return home at 5:57 pm Tuesday (3:30 am, March 19, India time).

NASA further stated that it will be live streaming SpaceX Crew-9’s return to Earth. The coverage will start with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations, which will take place at 10:45 pm EDT on Monday (March 17).

Amid growing anticipation over their return, people are also curious about whether Williams and Wilmore will get any overtime compensation for their extended stay in space, like several employees in other sectors.

ALSO READ: Here’s What 9 Months In Space Could Do To Sunita Williams And Butch Wilmore’s Health

How Much Will These Astronauts Earn?

If anyone is wondering if the two stranded astronauts are being paid overtime for their stay at the ISS, the short answer is no. According to retired NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, Williams and Wilmore are getting their regular salary and no overtime, while NASA takes care of transportation, lodging and food.

“There is some small amount of money per day for incidentals that they end up being legally obligated to pay you," Coleman was quoted as saying by Washingtonian, adding that she was being paid $4 per day during her stay in space.

For her stay in space during 2010-11, Coleman earned a total of approximately $636 (Rs 55,000). Calculating similar estimates, Williams and Wilmore are likely to receive about $1,148 (Rs 1 lakh) as extra compensation for staying over 287 days in space, which can be considered less, given their extreme conditions.

According to reports, both astronauts fall under the GS-15, the highest rank of the General Pay Schedule. This section of government employees receives a base salary of between $125,133.00 and $162,672.00 (Rs 1.08 crore to Rs 1.41 crore), depending on their General Schedule Step.

The General Schedule Pay Scale is the most widely used pay scale for white-collar federal civilian employees (over 1.5 million in total), with positions ranging from administrative jobs to managerial and technical.

As per this scale, the prorated salary of the two astronauts during the time of their extended stay i space falls between $93,850 and $122,004 (Rs 81 lakh to Rs 1.05 crore). With the additional $1,148 in incidental pay, their earnings would increase to between $94,998 and $1,23,152 (Rs 82 lakh to Rs 1.06 crore).

What Caused The Extended Stay?

The duo, who had initially planned to stay at the ISS for eight days, have been stuck in space for nine months after technical issues developed on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

During their approach to the ISS, five of the 28 thrusters of the Starliner spacecraft carrying Williams and Wilmore failed, which extended their trip from days to months in space. Their extended delay fuelled health concerns as pictures showed Williams undergoing a drastic weight loss.

They were set to return to the Earth on SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon capsule, which was scheduled to arrive in February 2025. However, NASA said on Tuesday that Crew-10, which would relieve Crew-9 and the stranded pair, would now launch no earlier than March 2025, and both teams would remain on board for a “handover period".

NASA’s Crew-10 arrived at the ISS as the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft successfully docked on Sunday. Cosmonaut Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos of Russia, Pilot Nichole Ayers and Commander Anne McClain of the US, and Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi of Japan’s JAXA will replaced the stranded astronauts and two more

US President Donald Trump and his close ally Elon Musk have repeatedly asserted that the two astronauts were left stranded at the ISS by the previous Joe Biden administration for “political reasons“.

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

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