SpaceX Splashdown: Sunita Williams returns to Earth after 9 months – Watch | World News
After their space mission concussion, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore splashed safely from the coast of Florida around 3.30 a.m. in the Indian era, ending their nine-month stay at the International Space Station. The mission is expected to last eight days after Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsules kick off on June 5.
Williams and Butch Wilmore’s Space X capsule was landed in the Gulf of Mexico earlier on Wednesday (Indian era) and left the International Space Station only a few hours later. The splash took place on the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, and draped curtains on the International Space Station for their unexpected nine months.
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Splashdown confirmation! #CREW9 Now back to their @spacex Dragon spacecraft. pic.twitter.com/g5tvyqfbau
– NASA (@nasa) March 18, 2025
After many technical problems, the historical space mission was extended by nine months and should have ended within eight days. Technical issues that emerged during their journey to the space station prompted NASA to restore Starliner to empty and transfer the test pilot to SpaceX.
Since then, the astronaut’s return has been pushed to February, extending its stay at the International Space Station by a month due to problems with SpaceX capsules. After the arrival of rescuers on Sunday, Wilmore and Williams were finally cleared. The space agency maintained unpredictable weather forecasts and therefore chose an early departure.
According to a report today in India, two astronauts left alongside NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov, who arrived at their own SpaceX capsules last fall, which carried two empty seats reserved for the Starliner Duo. Williams and Wilmore spent a total of 286 days in space. This work is 278 days longer than originally planned.
