NASA’s astronauts, Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, are finally en route back to Earth after spending nearly nine months stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Their long-awaited journey home began at 1:05 a.m. ET (5:05 a.m. GMT) when they undocked from the ISS in SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. Accompanying them are NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
The crew’s return marks the conclusion of an extended mission that has drawn significant attention. After a 17-hour descent, the astronauts are expected to splash down off the coast of Florida at 5:57 p.m. ET (9:57 p.m. GMT), provided all goes according to plan.
“Crew nine is going home,” said Hague, the commander of the Crew Dragon mission, just after they began their journey. “It was a privilege to call space home… to live and work… in cooperation for the benefit of humanity.”
NASA streamed the entire mission, capturing key moments including the astronauts securing themselves in the spacecraft and closing the hatch two hours before undocking. Williams and Wilmore waved to the camera, acknowledging the finality of their long stay in space.
Before departure, a minor issue arose when astronaut Takuya Onishi noticed dust specks on the hatch seals, which could have compromised the spacecraft’s airtight seal. The issue was promptly addressed, and after ensuring everything was secure, the crew proceeded with their journey. The mission is expected to land under clear skies, with “pristine weather” forecasted.
Williams and Wilmore, initially slated for an eight-day mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, were stranded due to multiple technical malfunctions with the Starliner. These included thruster failures and helium leaks, leading NASA to send the capsule back empty in September.
The extended mission became a political point of controversy after comments from President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who both criticized the Biden administration for not bringing the astronauts home sooner. Musk claimed that the Biden administration blocked an earlier rescue attempt to avoid giving Trump political advantage.
Williams and Wilmore are returning aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon capsule, which docked with the ISS in September. Four new astronauts, part of Crew-10, arrived over the weekend to replace the departing crew. This included NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Pesko.
Normally, departing crews overlap with incoming teams for five days for a handover period, but this time NASA shortened the overlap to two days to conserve food and accommodate potential delays due to weather.
Upon returning to Earth, Williams and Wilmore will likely be stretchered off the spacecraft, as they are expected to experience significant difficulty walking after their extended stay in space. NASA plans to conduct medical evaluations immediately following the splashdown. Dr. Vinay Gupta, a pulmonologist, noted that rehabilitation could take up to six weeks, focusing on walking, flexibility, and muscle strengthening.
The astronauts have been commended for their work during their extended mission, completing 4,500 orbits during their 286-day stay. While their mission duration is not a record, it is a testament to their resilience in challenging conditions.
NASA moved up the astronauts’ return by two weeks following political pressure, with President Trump calling on Musk to retrieve them. Prior to that, their return was scheduled for March 26. Musk, a prominent supporter of Trump, claimed that the Biden administration prevented his earlier offer to bring the astronauts home, which NASA has not directly confirmed but acknowledged in briefings.
The incoming crew from Crew-10 will spend the usual six months on the ISS, following a series of delays that included an aborted flight last Wednesday due to a Falcon 9 rocket issue. However, the Dragon capsule successfully docked with the ISS at 12:04 a.m. ET after a 28-hour journey.
