After spending over nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are finally set to return to Earth
NASA announced on Sunday that their return journey will take place on Tuesday, March 18, in the evening (GMT).
Long-awaited return to earth
Wilmore and Williams, along with another NASA astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut, will travel back aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, which docked with the ISS early on Sunday. The duo initially arrived at the ISS in June 2023 aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on its first crewed mission. However, due to propulsion system issues, the vehicle was deemed unsafe for their return, leading to their prolonged stay.
Scheduled Splashdown
NASA confirmed that the astronauts will splash down in the ocean off Florida’s coast at approximately 5:57 PM Florida time on March 18 (3:27 AM IST, March 19). The agency moved the return schedule forward from Wednesday to ensure smooth operations before unfavorable weather conditions arise later in the week.
Live coverage of return
NASA will provide live coverage of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission’s return, starting with the spacecraft’s hatch closure preparations at 10:45 PM EDT on Monday, March 17 (8:30 AM IST, March 18).
Accompanying Wilmore and Williams on the return journey will be NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Their departure will conclude an unexpectedly extended stay that lasted much longer than the usual six-month astronaut rotation.
A prolonged mission
Originally planned as a short-duration trip, the astronauts’ mission extended well beyond its intended timeline. While their nine-month stay on the ISS was significantly longer than usual, it was still short of the record-breaking 371-day US spaceflight by NASA’s Frank Rubio in 2023. The world record remains at 437 days, set by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov aboard the Mir space station.
The extended mission led to considerable public interest and concern, with many closely following their journey. Due to their unexpected stay, NASA had to send additional clothing and personal supplies for the astronauts, as they had not packed for such a lengthy period in space.
As the astronauts prepare for their long-awaited return, their journey marks yet another significant chapter in space exploration and highlights the challenges of pioneering new spacecraft technology.