Sunita Williams Homecoming Live Updates: Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who are stuck at the International Space Station (ISS) for more than nine months, began their return journey today. According to NASA, Williams and Wilmore undocked from the ISS at 10:35 am IST and set on a 17-hour trip back to Earth.
The spacecraft, Elon Musk-led SpaceX’s Dragon, will splash down off the coast of the American state of Florida around 3:27 am IST Wednesday.
The two astronauts flew to the orbital lab in June last year, on what was supposed to be a days-long roundtrip to test out Boeing’s Starliner on its first crewed flight. However, the spaceship developed propulsion problems and was deemed unfit to fly them back and instead returned empty.
Here Are Live Updates On Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore’s Homecoming:
Sunita (Suni) L Williams was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998 and is a veteran of two space missions, Expeditions 14/15 (December 9, 2006 to June 22, 2007) and 32/33 (July 14 to November 18, 2012).
As a member of the Expedition 14 crew, Williams served as Flight Engineer. While onboard, she established a world record for females with four spacewalks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024 for its first crewed flight, arriving at the space station on June 6. Following the agency’s decision to return Starliner uncrewed, the duo is currently living and working aboard the space station as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew and will return home in March 2025 aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
Astronaut Nick Hague, one of the four members of NASA’s Crew-9 set to return to Earth on Wednesday early morning, feels privileged to be a part of the space station and research for humanity.
“It’s been a privilege to call the space station home, to play my part in its 25-year legacy of doing research for humanity, and to work with colleagues, now friends, from around the globe. My spaceflight career, like most, is full of the unexpected,” he wrote.
It’s been a privilege to call the @Space_Station home, to play my part in its 25-year legacy of doing research for humanity, and to work with colleagues, now friends, from around the globe. My spaceflight career, like most, is full of the unexpected. pic.twitter.com/80jJ0Zn1sM
— Nick Hague (@AstroHague) March 17, 2025
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 members pose together for a portrait inside the vestibule between the International Space Station and the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft. Clockwise from left, are NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Sunita Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
For Crew-9 return, NASA’s live operations coverage following hatch closing is as follows (subject to change based on real-time operations):
Wednesday, March 19
10:15 am – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+
10:35 am – Undocking
2:41 am – Deorbit burn (time is approximate)
3:27 am – Splashdown (time is approximate)
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft’s hatch was closed at 11:05pm ET (8:35 am IST) today. Next, the crew-9 will undock from the station at 1:05am (10:35 am IST) on Tuesday.
In picture, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying four SpaceX Crew-9 members is docked to the Harmony module’s space-facing port on the International Space Station.
NASA Astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are packing up and closing the hatches as Crew-9 prepares to depart from the Space Station. Crew-9 is scheduled to return to Earth on Tuesday, March 18 (local time).
LIVE: @NASA_Astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are packing up and closing the hatches as #Crew9 prepares to depart from the @Space_Station. Crew-9 is scheduled to return to Earth on Tuesday, March 18. https://t.co/TpRlvLBVU1
— NASA (@NASA) March 18, 2025
