Mar 19, 2025
Komal Das
Sunita Williams Returns to Earth: SpaceX Dragon Completes 286-Day Mission
After nine months in space, Sunita Williams and her crew returned safely aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon, exclaiming, “... amazing … what a ride!”
Originally planned as a 10-day mission, their stay aboard the ISS was extended unexpectedly due to delays with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft
Crew-9 astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Aleksandr Gorbunov undocked on March 18 for a 17-hour descent after Crew-10's launch
The Crew-9 capsule re-entered at 2:41 AM IST, with parachutes deployed at 3:24 AM and a safe splashdown at 3:27 AM IST off Florida
After splashdown, SpaceX recovery teams secured the capsule and towed it to the ship Megan, lifting it aboard by 3:59 AM IST for medical assistance
Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov exited first, assisted into stretchers after 10 months in microgravity
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, dubbed "Butch and Suni," exited last, smiling and waving as they enjoyed fresh air after months in space
NASA praised Crew-9 as a success, with Williams and Wilmore's 286-day stay marking a spaceflight milestone
Recovery teams swiftly secured the capsule, ensuring a safe return from months in microgravity
Wilmore and Williams will undergo medical checks as their SpaceX Dragon capsule is secured post-splashdown
According to NASA-SpaceX, astronauts will undergo medical checks aboard to assess health after prolonged microgravity exposure
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