NASA-Stranded Astronauts return safely back to Earth

By R Anil Kumar

• Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams return to Earth after nine unplanned months in space

• The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft is seen after it splashed down in the Gulf of America, off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, at 5:57 p.m. EDT, 3:27 am IST returning Crew-9 to Earth.

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA)

Hague and Gorbunov have been at the International Space Station since  September. 29, 2024, while Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived on June 6. This completes a stay in space of 171 days for Hague and Gorbunov and 286 days for Williams and Wilmore.

Sunita Williams Homecoming Live Updates: Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore Taken Out of Dragon Capsule

Sunita Williams Homecoming Live Updates:

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, after an unexpected stay at the International Space Station (ISS) for more than nine months, have returned to Earth Safely  and splashed down off the coast of the American state of Florida early on Wednesday, 19 March, 2025 .

A SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship carrying the two astronauts, alongside American Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, streaked through the atmosphere before deploying parachutes for a gentle splashdown off the Florida coast at 3:27 am IST.

Williams and Wilmore undocked from the ISS at 10:35 am IST Tuesday for their 17-hour trip back to Earth.

The two astronauts flew to the orbital lab in June last year, on what was supposed to be a days-long roundtrip to test Boeing’s Starliner on its first crewed flight. The spaceship, however, developed propulsion problems and was deemed unfit to fly back and later returned empty.

Here Are Live Updates on Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore’s Homecoming:

The Moment When Sunita Williams Exited Dragon Capsule

Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore Taken Out of Dragon Capsule

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been taken out of Dragon capsule. They later were taken to Houston for a 45-day rehabilitation programme.

Sunita Williams Homecoming Live Updates: Astranautis Back Home

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were at the International Space Station (ISS) for more than nine months, have returned to Earth and splashed down off the coast of the American state of Florida early on Wednesday, 19 March.

Astronauts Safe Return: As it Happened

First Visuals of Drogue Parachutes Being Deployed to Slowdown Dragon Spacecraft

First Visual of Dragon Spacecraft Heading Towards Earth

March 19, 2025 02:53 (IST)

SpaceX Dragon Completes Key Manoeuvre Before Splashdown

Sunita Williams’ Dragon spacecraft “successfully” completed key deorbit burn manoeuvre before splashdown off Florida coast.

NASA Resumes Live Coverage Of Crew-9’s Return, Splashdown In Less Than 2 Hours

NASA has resumed the live coverage of the deorbit burn and splashdown of the NASA/SpaceX Dragon “Freedom”. The deorbit burn is scheduled at 2:41 am IST and the splashdown will take place precisely 44 minutes later at 3:27 am off the Florida coast.

What Sunita Williams Earlier Said on Her 9-Month-Long Stay in Space

Astronauts Sunita William and Butch Wilmore return home after their eight-day mission in the International Space Station got delayed and turned into a nine-month ordeal when the Boeing Starliner – which was supposed to bring them back to Earth – faced issues.

The astronauts splashed down at 3:27 near the Florida coast on March 19, 2025.
During a press conference earlier this month, Ms Sunita Williams had said, “The hardest part is having the folks on the ground not know exactly when we’re coming back. It’s been a rollercoaster for them – probably more so than for us.”
The astronaut’s prolonged stay sparked controversy on Earth, with Musk claiming the astronauts were being left in space “for political reasons.” US President Donald Trump also echoed the sentiment, suggesting that the former Biden administration was deliberately delaying their return.

Welcome Home! NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Back on Earth After Science Mission

NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov land in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in the water off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida on March 18, 2025, early hours of March 19, 2025, Wednesday According to IST.

Hague, Gorbunov, Williams, and Wilmore returned from a long-duration science expedition aboard the International Space Station.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 completed the agency’s ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday, March 18, splashing down safely in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, in the Gulf of America.

NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, and Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, returned to Earth at 5:57 p.m. EDT.

Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and its crew. After returning to shore, the crew will fly to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and reunite with their families.

“We are thrilled to have Suni, Butch, Nick, and Aleksandr home after their months-long mission conducting vital science, technology demonstrations, and maintenance aboard the International Space Station,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “Per President Trump’s direction, NASA and SpaceX worked diligently to pull the schedule a month earlier. This international crew and our teams on the ground embraced the Trump Administration’s challenge of an updated, and somewhat unique, mission plan, to bring our crew home. Through preparation, ingenuity, and dedication, we achieve great things together for the benefit of humanity, pushing the boundaries of what is possible from low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars.”

Hague and Gorbunov lifted off at 1:17 p.m. Sept. 28, 2024, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The next day, they docked to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.

Williams and Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on June 5, 2024, from Space Launch Complex 41 as part of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. The duo arrived at the space station on June 6. In August, NASA announced the uncrewed return of Starliner to Earth and integrated Wilmore and Williams as part of the space station’s Expedition 71/72 for a return on Crew-9. The crew of four undocked at 1:05 a.m. Tuesday to begin the trip home.

Williams and Wilmore travelled 121,347,491 miles during their mission, spent 286 days in space, and completed 4,576 orbits around Earth.

Hague and Gorbunov travelled 72,553,920 miles during their mission, spent 171 days in space, and completed 2,736 orbits around Earth. The Crew-9 mission was the first spaceflight for Gorbunov.

Hague has logged 374 days in space over his two missions, Sunita Williams has logged 608 days in space over her three flights, and Wilmore has logged 464 days in space over his three flights.

Throughout its mission, Crew-9 contributed to a host of science and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations. Williams conducted two spacewalks, joined by Wilmore for one and Hague for another, removing a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss, collecting samples from the station’s external surface for analysis, installing patches to cover damaged areas of light filters on an X-ray telescope, and more.

Sunita Williams now holds the record for total spacewalking time by a female astronaut, with 62 hours and 6 minutes outside of station, and is fourth on the all-time spacewalk duration list.

The American crew members conducted more than 150 unique scientific experiments and technology demonstrations between them, with over 900 hours of research. This research included investigations on plant growth and quality, as well as the potential of stem cell technology to address blood diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancers.

They also tested lighting systems to help astronauts maintain circadian rhythms, loaded the first wooden satellite for deployment, and took samples from the space station’s exterior to study whether microorganisms can survive in space.

The Crew-9 mission was the fourth flight of the Dragon spacecraft named Freedom. It also previously supported NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4, Axiom Mission 2, and Axiom Mission 3.

The spacecraft will return to Florida for inspection and processing at SpaceX’s refurbishing facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where teams will inspect the Dragon, analyze data on its performance, and begin processing for its next flight.

The Crew-9 flight is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and its return to Earth follows on the heels of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 launch, which docked to the station on March 16, beginning another long-duration science expedition.

The goal of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the space station and low Earth orbit. The program provides additional research time and has increased opportunities for discovery aboard humanity’s microgravity testbed for exploration, including helping NASA prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

(Images Source: NASA)