Butch is a veteran of two spaceflights and has accumulated 178 days in space, according to Nasa, however this figure may rocket as his latest voyage hasn't yet been fully tallied up. He was selected as an astronaut by Nasa in July 2000 and is a retired US Navy captain.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — retired Navy captains and repeat space fliers — have insisted that they are healthy and committed to the mission as long as it takes.

NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, stranded on the International Space Station since June, said Tuesday he believes Elon Musk's claim that the billionaire proposed an early rescue plan, but it was ultimately rejected by then-President Joe Biden.