“It’s bound in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” he said not long before departing the International Space Station to return to Earth.

After being asked what his “life lesson or takeaway from these nine months in space” was, astronaut Barry Eugene “Butch” Wilmore replied, “Well, I can tell you honestly, my feeling on all of this goes back to my faith. It’s bound in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

“He is working out his plan and his purposes for his glory throughout all of humanity, and how that plays into our lives is significant and important, and however that plays out, I am content because I understand that,” Wilmore continued.

“I understand that He’s at work in all things, some things are for the good, go to Hebrews chapter 11, and some things look to us to be not so good. But it’s all working out for His good, for all those that will believe,” the astronaut added. “And that’s the answer.”

Wilmore and fellow astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams, who launched into space on the first piloted test flight of Boeing’s Starliner on June 5, 2024, ended up stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) orbital laboratory for 286 days, when they were only supposed to be on a ten-day trip.

After the Starliner had faced problems, Elon Musk’s SpaceX reportedly worked on a plan with NASA to fly Wilmore and Williams back to Earth.

As of Wednesday March 19, 2025, the two astronauts had finally completed their long-awaited journey back to Earth on a SpaceX capsule, thanks to the combined drive and ambition of President Donald Trump and Musk to “go get them.”

Wilmore and fellow astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams launched into space on the first piloted test flight of Boeing’s Starliner on June 5, 2024.