NASA astronauts Sunita (Suni) Williams(59 years) and Butch Wilmore, who were stuck in space for almost 9 months are back in gravity. They safely splashdown today at around 3:30 AM IST on Wednesday (March 19, 2025). ). Their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida.
After spending 286 days in the International Space Station (ISS), the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule’s safe return has been marked as the end of an extended mission for the two astronauts. Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were launched into space on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule. Their stay was scheduled to be only eight days, but due to technical issues with Starliner, their return got delayed, forcing NASA to keep them on the ISS for an extended period.
After taking all the preventive measures, NASA decided to bring them back by using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, but further delays pushed their return date even later. During their stay, Williams and Wilmore adapted to life aboard the ISS, taking on responsibilities as full-time crew members. They participated in several experiments, conducted spacewalks, and even set records.
The space capsule deployed its parachute before splashing down in the ocean off the coast of Florida. The two astronauts traveled along with NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov for 17 hours on their journey home. A NASA team opened the hatch and helped astronauts onto mobility aids. Ms Williams was seen waving and flashing thumbs-up signs as she exited the capsule.
Crew-9 undocked at 10:35 am (IST), with NASA sharing a video of the spacecraft detaching from the space station. Elon Musk’s SpaceX was tasked with the responsibility to bring Crew-9 back to Earth. The Dragon capsule atop the Falcon 9 rocket was launched for the mission. Crew-10 has replaced Crew-9 at the International Space Station.
After an unexpected nine-month stay in space, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, a pair of NASA astronauts, finally returned to Earth on early Wednesday morning, concluding a mission that gripped global attention and became a political flashpoint. People in Gujarat’s Jhulasan, a native village of Sunita Williams, celebrated her safe return by performing aarti and offering prayers. Sunita Williams’ cousin Dinesh Rawal organised a ‘Yagna’ in Ahmedabad to pray for her safe return.
