NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore are set to return to Earth on March 19 after a long nine-month stay in space.
The duo were stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) due to technical issues in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft which delayed their one- week mission, that started on June 5, 2024.
On March 16, officials confirmed the return of Williams and Wilmore to Earth. A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft docked at the ISS on Sunday along with an American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut to bring them back.
However amidst all this, there is growing curiosity whether and how much the astronauts will be paid for their nine-month extended stay in space.
According to NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, as reported by CNBC, astronauts receive their standard salary without any overtime benefits. He explained that there is only a small amount of money per day that they get paid. For him it was USD 4 per day.
“Astronauts are paid like any federal employee on a business trip. They get their regular salary, no overtime, and NASA takes care of transportation, lodging, and food,” Coleman said in the interview to the Washingtonian.
According to reports, Williams and Wilmore hold GS-15 ranking – the highest rank of the General Pay Schedule – and their base salaries range between USD 125,133 and USD 162,672 (approximately Rs 1.08 crore to 1.41 crore) annually, as per information by generalschedule.org.
According to reports, the prorated salary of the astronaut duo will range from USD 93,850 to USD 122,004 (approximately Rs 81 lakh to Rs 1.05 crore). Adding the incidental pay of USD 1,148, their total earning is expected to be between USD 94,998 and USD 123,152 (around 82 lakh to Rs 1.06 crore).
NASA confirmed on Sunday evening that the astronauts’ anticipated ocean splashdown off the Florida coast has been scheduled for 3:27 am IST (2157 GMT) on Wednesday.