NASA’s two stranded astronauts are finally heading back to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule, concluding a prolonged mission that began with Boeing’s troubled test flight over nine months ago. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been aboard the International Space Station since last spring, departed early Tuesday alongside two other crew members.
Their spacecraft undocked in the early hours today and is targeting a splashdown off the Florida coast by evening, depending on weather conditions. Originally, the pair was expected to return just a week after launching aboard Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule on June 5.
However, significant technical issues during the flight led NASA to send the Starliner back to Earth without them. The astronauts were reassigned to a SpaceX capsule, delaying their return until February. Further complications with SpaceX’s vehicle pushed their journey home into March.
NASA’s live coverage of Sunita Williams’ return to Earth
NASA began its live coverage on Monday, March 17, at 10:45 PM EDT (8:15 AM IST), starting with hatch closure preparations, followed by uninterrupted coverage of the crew’s return journey. The exact splashdown site will be confirmed closer to re-entry, but it is anticipated to be off the coast of Florida, near the Kennedy Space Center.
NASA’s expected schedule for Sunita Williams’ return in Indian Standard Time
Tuesday, March 18
8:15 am IST – Hatch closing coverage begins on NASA+
11:15 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+
10:35 a.m – Undocking
Wednesday, March 19
2:15 a.m – Return coverage begins on NASA+
2:41 a.m – Deorbit burn (time is approximate)
3:27 a.m. – Splashdown (time is approximate)
5:00 a.m – Return-to-Earth media conference on NASA+