NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, along with two others, have successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) and are set to land back on Earth on Tuesday evening.
NASA is broadcasting the return journey live as the SpaceX Crew-9 “Dragon Freedom” capsule transports the four astronauts back from the ISS. Accompanying Williams and Wilmore are SpaceX Crew-9 astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov.
The two NASA astronauts originally traveled to the ISS on June 5 aboard a Boeing Starliner spacecraft. However, due to technical malfunctions, they remained on the ISS while NASA sent the Starliner back to Earth without a crew in September 2024 to clear the docking area for other missions.
After an extended stay of nine months, Williams and Wilmore are now making their way home aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule. NASA confirmed the event in a post on X, stating, “They’re on their way! Crew-9 undocked from the Space Station at 1:05 a.m. ET (0505 UTC). Reentry and splashdown coverage begin at 4:45 p.m. ET (2145 UTC) on X, YouTube, and NASA+.”
The return trip to Earth is estimated to last around 17 hours. As part of NASA’s live coverage, Hague, Williams, Wilmore, and Gorbunov were seen preparing for departure, sealing the hatches, and securing their equipment.
Reflecting on his experience, Hague shared, “It has been an honor to call the Space Station home and contribute to its 25-year history of advancing research for humanity. My spaceflight career has been filled with unexpected moments.”
NASA announced that live coverage of the Crew-9 return, starting with the Dragon spacecraft’s hatch closure, would begin at 10:45 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 17. Officials from NASA and SpaceX had assessed the weather near Florida’s coast and identified favorable conditions for a Tuesday evening return.
NASA emphasized that the schedule provides the ISS crew sufficient time to complete their handover duties while allowing operational flexibility before less favorable weather conditions arise later in the week.
Mission managers will continue to monitor weather patterns, as the Dragon’s return depends on multiple factors, including spacecraft readiness, sea conditions, and the preparedness of recovery teams. NASA and SpaceX will confirm the precise splashdown location closer to the landing time.
Meanwhile, a separate SpaceX Dragon capsule, carrying astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, JAXA’s Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, successfully docked at the ISS, as announced by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
NASA and SpaceX launched a retrieval mission last Friday to bring Williams and Wilmore home after their unexpected nine-month stay. The mission lifted off at 7:03 a.m. ET using a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft as part of the Crew-10 mission.
The delayed return had drawn political attention, with former U.S. President Donald Trump urging Elon Musk to expedite the rescue. Trump criticized ex-President Joe Biden, accusing him of neglecting the astronauts’ return.
Williams and Wilmore were initially scheduled to spend only a week aboard the ISS. However, technical issues forced NASA and Boeing to send the Starliner back to Earth without passengers in September. The decision followed an incident on June 6, when the spacecraft experienced helium leaks and thruster malfunctions while approaching the space station.
