Stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore's return to Earth moved up a day, says Nasa

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Two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, are set to return to Earth on Tuesday evening after an unexpected nine-month stay on the ISS. NASA and SpaceX have revised the splashdown timing due to favorable conditions, allowing their return alongside another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut.

The Two stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are set to return to Earth on Tuesday evening a day earlier than the previously reported schedule, said Nasa citing “favourable conditions”.

“Nasa and SpaceX met on Sunday to assess weather and splashdown conditions off Florida’s coast for the return of the agency’s Crew-9 mission from the International Space Station. Mission managers are targeting an earlier Crew-9 return opportunity based on favorable conditions forecasted for the evening of Tuesday, March 18,” said the space agency in an official statement.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon craft, which reached the ISS on Sunday, will transport the two astronauts stuck in space for over nine months along with another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut back home.

Williams and Wilmore have remained on the ISS since June after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft encountered propulsion problems during its first crewed test flight, making it unsuitable for their return journey.

On Sunday evening, Nasa announced the revised timing for the astronauts’ ocean splashdown near Florida’s coast to approximately 5.57 pm Tuesday (2157 GMT), preponed from the initial Wednesday schedule. “The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week,” added Nasa to its statement while announcing that they will show the return of the Crew-9 live and shared the updated schedule on its website.

The Dragon capsule will also carry Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The return journey’s live broadcast will begin on Monday evening with hatch closure preparations.

For Wilmore and Williams, this concludes an unexpected nine-month stay, originally planned as a brief roundtrip mission. They first arrived at the ISS in June 2024 using Boeing’s Starliner vessel, with plans for a seven-day mission. However, technical difficulties with the Starliner, including problems with its propulsion system and helium leakages, compelled Nasa to send the spacecraft back to Earth without crew in September. As a result, the astronauts’ duration of stay at the station became uncertain

Their extended stay exceeded the typical ISS rotation period of about six months. The unplanned extension of their mission, which required additional supplies of clothing and personal items, has drawn public attention and sympathy for their unplanned separation from family.

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