LIVE: Splashdown: Global cheer as Sunita Williams and crew back on Earth
The four-member crew, including Sunita Williams, on board the SpaceX capsule, splashed down at 3.27 am IST Wednesday
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have made a safe return to Earth following their mission on the International Space Station (ISS). They travelled back aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which smoothly re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and landed in the waters off the coast of Florida, near Tallahassee. The milestone event unfolded at 3:27 am on Wednesday (March 19).
Williams and fellow NASA astronaut, Butch Wilmore, finally undocked from the ISS and left for Earth on board a SpaceX capsule at 10.35 am (IST) on Tuesday to close out a dramatic marathon mission that began with a bungled Boeing test flight more than nine months ago.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written to Williams, inviting her to visit India. The letter, written on March 1, was sent through former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino.
‘Stuck at work’
Williams and Wilmore travelled to the ISS in June last year for a scheduled eight-day mission. However, they were forced to stay back as the Boeing Starliner capsule developed issues with its propulsion system.
The duo spent 286 days on the ISS, where they conducted over 4,500 orbits and travelled more than 121 million statute miles, NASA said in its commentary.
Their plight captured the world’s attention, giving new meaning to the phrase “stuck at work”. While other astronauts had logged longer spaceflights over the decades, none had to deal with so much uncertainty or see the length of their mission expand by so much.
With 62 hours over nine spacewalks, Williams set a new record: the most time spent spacewalking over a career among female astronauts.
Also read:
Live: NASA Crew-10 enters space station, welcomed with hugs and handshakes
Ex-DRDO chief's take on Sunita Williams' impending return | Dr.William Selvamurthy
Follow Live updates below:
Live Updates
- 19 March 2025 3:29 AM
Where is Sunita Williams now?
Crew-9 astronauts, including Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, were flown by helicopters to Houston, where they will meet their family members in a day or two.
They will also begin NASA's 45-day rehabilitation program to recover from physical degradation of long space stay.
- 19 March 2025 2:55 AM
Sunita Williams to visit India? Cousin says ‘we are planning on going on vacation’
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams may visit India soon, NDTV cited Williams' cousin Falguni Pandya as saying in an interview on Wednesday.
"We are also planning on going on vacation together. There is going to be a lot of family time," Pandya said on Sunita Williams' returning home after 286 days in space.
- 19 March 2025 2:26 AM
Dolphins welcome Sunita Williams back to Earth
As the SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying Nasa astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, marking the end of their unplanned nine-month space odyssey, an unexpected welcome unfolded. A group of dolphins appeared near the capsule just as the safety team was approaching to transfer it to a ship.
