Sunita Williams set to return to Earth tomorrow

NASA has confirmed that US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months, will return to Earth on Tuesday evening.

Wilmore and Williams will be transported home alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon craft, which arrived at the ISS early on Sunday.

NASA announced on Sunday evening that the astronauts’ return has been scheduled for 5:57 p.m. EDT on Tuesday (21:57 GMT and 3:30 a.m. IST on March 19) with an ocean splashdown off the Florida coast. The return was initially planned for Wednesday.

“The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favourable weather conditions expected later in the week,” NASA said in a statement.

Wilmore and Williams have been on the ISS since June 2023 after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they were testing on its maiden crewed flight experienced propulsion issues and was deemed unsafe for the return trip.

NASA confirmed that it will provide live coverage of the SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth, starting with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 17 (8:30 a.m. IST on March 18).

The extended stay of Wilmore and Williams lasted much longer than the typical six-month rotation for astronauts. However, it falls short of the US record of 371 days set by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio in 2023 and the world record of 437 days held by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov aboard the Mir space station.

The unexpected length of their mission drew significant attention and concern. Due to the extension, the astronauts had to receive additional clothing and personal care supplies, as they had not packed for such a long stay.

Their nine-month ordeal is finally set to conclude, marking the end of a challenging but historic mission.