Sunita Willaims and Butch Wilmore Set to Return to Earth Aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon
📅 Date: March 17, 2025
🕒 Time: 5:57 PM ET (21:57 GMT)
📍 Location: Off the Florida Coast
After nine months in space, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally set to return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon. The duo had been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024 due to propulsion issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
🔑 Key Highlights:
✔ Williams & Wilmore to Return After 9-Month Stay 🛰️
✔ Splashdown Off Florida Coast Scheduled for Tuesday Evening 🌊
✔ NASA Astronaut Nick Hague & Roscosmos Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov Also Returning
✔ Live Broadcast Begins Monday Night with Hatch Closure 📡
✔ Delayed Mission Due to Starliner Technical Failures 🚀
🛑 Why Were They Stuck?
🔹 The Boeing Starliner was supposed to bring them back after an 8-day mission but was declared unfit to fly due to propulsion system malfunctions.
🔹 NASA & Boeing opted for a SpaceX Crew Dragon rescue mission instead.
🔹 Their 9-month stay is longer than standard ISS rotations (6 months) but shorter than the US record (371 days by Frank Rubio).
Also Read: 🚀 Sunita Williams’ ISS Mission: Spacewalks, Research, and a Record-Breaking Stay
🛰️ What’s Next?
🔹 Monday Night: Hatch closure preparations begin 🎥 (Live NASA Broadcast)
🔹 Tuesday: Crew Dragon undocks from ISS 🚀
🔹 Tuesday Evening: Splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida 🌊
🔹 Post-Landing: Recovery teams will retrieve the astronauts and return them safely to Houston.
This marks yet another major win for SpaceX, proving Crew Dragon’s reliability in ferrying astronauts safely. Welcome home, Sunita Williams & crew! 👩🚀💫