Gujarat astronaut Sunita Williams’s ancestral village celebrates her safe return to Earth

Villagers celebrated the safe return of American astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) on March 19, 2025 at a temple in the ancestral village in the Mesana region of Gujarat, India. On March 19, 2025. Image source: AP

People at NASA astronaut Sunita Williams’s Jhulasan celebrated her safe return to Earth on Wednesday and performed Aarti and offered prayers after she spent nearly nine months in space.

The celebration began with the splash of the successful Dragon Shuttle, which brought Ms. Williams back to Earth along with crew members No. 9 Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague and Russian Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashdown Update: March 19, 2025

Earlier, NASA astronaut’s cousin Dinesh Rawal, organized a “Yagna” in Ahmedabad on Tuesday to pray for her safety return.

Villagers celebrate the safe return of NASA astronaut Suni Williams from the International Space Station (ISS) at a temple (ISS) in her ancestor village Jhulasan, Mehsana district, Gujarat, India, Wednesday, March 19, 2025 (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) | Photo source: Ajit Solanki

SpaceX confirmed the splash, and NASA astronaut Nick Hague shared that the crew “smiled his ears” after returning safely.

After landing, NASA astronaut Nick Hague conveyed his first message to mission control. Although the audio is a little unclear, you can hear Mr. The Hague said that the crew “had a smile in his ears.” CNN Report.

“The Dragon’s Splash is confirmed – Welcome back to Earth, Nick, Suni, Butch and Alex!” SpaceX announced in a post on X.

NASA commentator Sandra Jones described the landing site, noting that “there is only one calm, glass-like view of the ocean is breathtaking.”

Now, the rescue ship operated by SpaceX will retrieve the spacecraft. One of the rigs on board will soon lift the capsule out of the water and place it in the “Dragon’s Nest.”

The moment before the touchdown, a group of parachutes deployed a slow crew down, bringing it to speeds of less than 20 miles per hour, CNN Report.

After the splash, the team at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston will focus on helping astronauts re-watch the gravity of Earth.

The crew will undergo preliminary medical examinations on the rescue ship and conduct continuous monitoring in the coming days and weeks. Later today, the Crew-9 team will be shipped to NASA’s Houston facility, where they will receive additional medical assessments.

The highly anticipated reward for the crew was when the crew boarded the SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule and left the International Space Station at 1:05 a.m. ET.

Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore’s long stay in space has been the subject of speculation. However, astronauts repeatedly refuted their claims of being “abandoned,” “stuck” or “stayed,” according to CNN.

Mr. Willmore told CNN In February. “Help us change the narrative, let’s change it to: Despite what you’ve been hearing.”