- Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who spent more than nine months aboard the ISS, were to return to Earth on Tuesday, NASA affirmed
- They will be accompanied by Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov
- The astronauts will come back on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, which landed on Sunday
NASA announced that American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have spent more than nine months aboard the ISS, are coming back to Earth Tuesday night. With them was NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who were all, making the trip home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon that had docked with the ISS at the weekend.
The astronauts' return, previously scheduled for Wednesday, was advanced because bad weather was forecast for later in the week. The Crew Dragon will now splash down in the ocean off Florida's coast at 5:57 p.m. EDT on Tuesday (21:57 GMT and 3:30 a.m. IST on March 19). Return coverage will begin with hatch-closing operations on Monday evening.
Butch and Sunita have been on board the ISS since June of 2023 as members of a Boeing Starliner spacecraft test flight. Their return was postponed when the Starliner experienced problems with its propulsion system, rendering it unable to fly back home. The drawn-out mission, which caught many by surprise, caused concerns because the astronauts had packed for only a brief journey at first. NASA had to ship extra supplies, such as clothing and toiletries, to sustain their extended visit.
Their more extensive mission won't break the American record of 371 days aloft experienced by astronaut Frank Rubio in 2023. World records were established by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov at 437 days aboard Mir space station.
NASA emphasized that rescheduling the return creates a smoother handover for the ISS crew and guarantees safe and efficient return for the astronauts. Splashdown next week will be the end of a difficult but historic mission for Butch and Sunita, who will at last be reunited with their families following an unexpected protracted stay in space.
