Nasa astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are set to return home after an unexpectedly long stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) — but how much are they making for their extended time in space?
Astronaut salary breakdown
According to per reports, as GS-15 federal employees, Williams and Wilmore earn an annual salary ranging from $125,133 to $162,672 (approximately Rs 1.08 crore to Rs 1.41 crore). Given their extended 9-month mission, their earnings will be prorated to about $93,850 to $122,004 (around Rs 81 lakh to Rs 1.05 crore).
While that might sound impressive, here’s where it gets amusing—Nasa does not pay astronauts overtime. Instead, they receive a small daily stipend for incidentals, which amounts to just $4 per day (Rs 347), according to retired NASA astronaut Cady Coleman.
The paycheck for 287 days in space?
Since Williams and Wilmore have spent 287 days instead of the planned 8, their extra stipend amounts to just $1,148 (Rs 1 lakh). That’s barely enough to cover a fancy dinner after they land—let alone compensate for nearly a year in microgravity!
Adding up their base salary plus this modest stipend, their total earnings for the mission will range between $94,998 and $123,152 (approximately Rs 82 lakh to Rs 1.06 crore).
Finally returning to Earth
After months of delays due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner, Nasa has now cleared their return. Williams and Wilmore are expected to depart no earlier than March 19 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Meanwhile, the SpaceX Crew-10 mission has arrived at the ISS to take over, bringing Nasa astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.