March 19, 2025: Actor R Madhavan, along with several other notable figures, expressed heartfelt joy and excitement over the safe return of astronaut Sunita Williams from her intense space mission. Williams, who had spent more than 260 days in space as part of NASA’s Crew-9 mission, safely returned to Earth, marking a significant achievement in space exploration.
Taking to Instagram, Madhavan shared a video of Williams’ safe landing, where she was seen being assisted by professionals as she emerged from the spacecraft. In his post, the actor wrote, “Welcome back to Earth our Dear Dear Sunita Williams. Our prayers have been answered… so wonderful to see you safe and smiling.” Madhavan also acknowledged the immense challenges Williams had faced during her mission, which saw her spend more than 260 days in space, and credited the safe return to “God’s grace and millions of praying souls’ prayers.”
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also celebrated the momentous occasion on social media, expressing his pride and admiration for Sunita Williams and her crew. In a tweet, he congratulated Williams and the entire Crew-9 team, calling their achievement a testament to human endurance and perseverance in space. “Delighted at the safe return of NASA’s #Crew9 on earth! The crew comprising of India’s daughter Sunita Williams and other astronauts have rewritten the history of human endurance and perseverance in Space,” he wrote. Singh further highlighted Williams’ courage and resilience as a source of inspiration to millions worldwide.
The White House also recognized the success of the mission, with a statement applauding the efforts of NASA, SpaceX, and President Donald Trump for ensuring the safe return of the astronauts. The statement read, “PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT: President Trump pledged to rescue the astronauts stranded in space for nine months. Today, they safely splashed down in the Gulf of America, thanks to Elon Musk, SpaceX, and NASA!”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, too, congratulated the teams involved in the mission. In his post, Musk expressed gratitude for the safe return of the astronauts, thanking the teams at SpaceX and NASA for their hard work. He also thanked President Trump for prioritizing the mission, writing, “Congratulations to the SpaceX and NASA teams for another safe astronaut return! Thank you to Donald Trump for prioritizing this mission.”
The Crew-9 mission was a major milestone for space exploration, with SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, “Freedom,” successfully completing its fourth flight. This spacecraft had previously supported multiple missions, including NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 and Axiom missions. Following Crew-9’s successful return, “Freedom” will be thoroughly inspected and refurbished at SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral facility for future missions.
The successful return of Crew-9 also coincided with the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on March 16, marking the start of another long-duration space mission. This highlights the ongoing importance of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which provides reliable, cost-effective transportation to and from the ISS while advancing space exploration goals.