Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore launched to the ISS in June 2024 on Boeing’s Starliner for its first crewed test run. The plan was for a short eight-day mission. But things didn’t go as expected. The Starliner hit snags with its propulsion system—think thruster troubles and helium leaks—making it risky for the astronauts to ride it back. NASA sent the spacecraft home empty in September 2024, leaving the pair to bunk with the ISS crew for an extra nine months.
To bring them home, NASA tapped a SpaceX Dragon capsule that had been docked at the ISS since late September 2024 as part of the Crew-9 mission. After some delays to tweak the spacecraft and align schedules, the astronauts got their green light to return.
Late Monday, the Dragon’s hatch was sealed tight. After undocking early Tuesday, the capsule fired its engines to exit orbit and dive toward Earth. It’s set to splash down off Florida’s Pensacola coast around 3:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 19, if the weather cooperates. A recovery crew will be ready to pluck Sunita and Wilmore from the water and fly them to Houston for a warm welcome from loved ones.
Their departure was timed with the arrival of SpaceX’s Crew-10 team on March 16. This new group—NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Peskov—took over ISS duties, ensuring the station stays busy while letting Williams and Wilmore head home.
VIDEO: Stranded NASA astronauts to finally return to Earth with SpaceX.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 18, 2025
After more than nine months aboard the International Space Station, a pair of astronauts are finally set to depart for Earth, ending a prolonged mission that has captivated global attention pic.twitter.com/s2KsLAJx7Q
What Sunita and Wilmore Did on the Space?
During their bonus time in space, the astronauts didn’t slack off. They chipped in on science projects and kept the ISS running smoothly. NASA’s Steve Stich, who heads the Commercial Crew Program, praised their grit. “They adapted like champs and did stellar work,” he said.
This saga wraps up a chapter that tested NASA’s problem-solving chops, spotlighting the need for rock-solid spacecraft as space exploration ramps up. For Sunita and Wilmore, it’s the end of an epic detour—soon, they’ll be back on solid ground.
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