Sunita Williams Return Live Updates: The countdown for Sunita Williams much-awaited return to Earth has begun. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Williams, who have been stuck at the International Space Station for more than nine months, are now prepping up for splashdown off the coast of Florida.
NASA will do a live broadcast of SpaceX Crew-9’s return to Earth from the International Space Station, starting with the preparation to close the Dragon spacecraft hatch. You can also catch Financial Express’ live coverage here for the astronauts’ journey back.
The Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations will begin at 8:15 am on Tuesday (today) IST. Williams and Wilmore will be touching down Earth at 3:27 am on Wednesday. NASA has updated the return date to allow astronauts enough time for a smooth handover of duties and to provide more flexibility due to expected unfavorable weather later in the week.
Live Updates
NASA Sunita Williams Return Live Updates: Watch Live Coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Rescue Mission for Astronaut Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have started the process of donning their garments and suits. They are ready for hatch closure.
Crew-9 have finished their pending tasks before undocking and returning to Earth. Wilmore and Williams did routine maintenance and checks on the station during their final shift. Crew-9 also packed and secured cargo in the Dragon spacecraft for the astronauts’ trip back.
The NASA astronauts at ISS will begin Dragon spacecraft hatch closing preparations at 8:15 am today IST. The undocking will begin at 10:35 am. NASA will be providing live coverage for the event, but you can also keep following this space for constant live coverage on Sunita Williams‘ return.
As of now, we only know that the Dragon spacecraft will touchdown in Florida. However, NASA and SpaceX will announce the exact splashdown location once Crew-9 is closer to returning.
Dragon spacecraft’s undocking depends on various factors, including the weather and sea condition, recovery team’s readiness, and also the spacecraft’s conditions. Mission managers are expected to keep an eye on these conditions, NASA said on their official website.
Although much has been said and written about Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s return, not much is known about the the other astronauts who have been stuck at the ISS along with them for over nine months. These are Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who have been a part of Crew 9 since the beginning. The will also undock from the ISS with Williams and Wilmore.
The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station today. Williams will be handing over the command of the ISS to Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, who will be leading the operations for coming six months.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s return to Earth from the International Space Station, after being stuck there for more than nine months. Here you can track the sequence of events as Williams prepares to undock today.
