NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Wilmore make safe return to Earth

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams have finally returned to Earth after an unexpected ninemonth stay in space following complications during a Boeing test flight Their homecoming marks the end of a prolonged and uncertain mission that began with a flawed launch last JuneWilmore and Williams made their return aboard a SpaceX capsule which parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tallahassee Florida on Tuesday evening Their capsules splashdown occurred just hours after they departed the International Space Station ISS According to AP reports within an hour of landing both astronauts were out of the capsule smiling and waving at cameras as they were assisted into reclining stretchers for routine medical checksTheir mission started with Boeingrsquos Starliner crew capsule test flight on 5 June 2024 Initially planned as a brief oneweek mission the journey quickly unravelled when multiple technical issues arose on the way to the ISS NASA ultimately decided to send the Starliner capsule back empty forcing the astronauts to extend their stay until February Further delays due to issues with the replacement SpaceX capsule pushed their return back by another monthThe arrival of their relief crew on Sunday cleared the path for Wilmore and Williams departure NASA accelerated their return due to an uncertain weather forecast later in the week They were accompanied to the ISS departure point by NASAs Nick Hague and Russias Alexander Gorbunov who arrived last autumn aboard a SpaceX capsule with two empty seats set aside for the Starliner duoWatch Dragon and Crew9 return to Earth rarr httpstcoZZEmGU8Aar httpstcoaqY6RNsEfKmdash SpaceX SpaceX March 18 2025By the time they splashed down Wilmore and Williams had spent 286 days in spacemdash278 days longer than initially expected Over the course of their mission they orbited Earth 4576 times and travelled approximately 121 million miles 195 million kilometres On behalf of SpaceX welcome home radioed SpaceX Mission Control in California Hague the capsules commander responded What a ride I see a capsule full of grins ear to earCongratulations to the SpaceX and NASA teams for another safe astronaut returnThank you to POTUS for prioritizing this mission httpstcoKknFDbh59smdash Elon Musk elonmusk March 18 2025Dolphins circled the capsule as recovery divers prepared to lift it onto the recovery ship Wilmore and Williams emerged from the capsule one at a time both giving thumbs up Williams was nexttolast out followed by Wilmore who beamed as he was helped onto the deckTheir prolonged stay captured global attention with their unexpected extension becoming a talking point worldwide While other astronauts have logged longer missions none have faced the uncertainty and lastminute changes that Wilmore and Williams endured The duo quickly transitioned from test pilots to integral ISS crew members conducting experiments repairing equipment and even carrying out spacewalks together Williams set a record for the most time spent spacewalking by a female astronaut with 62 hours logged over nine spacewalksWilliams also took on the role of station commander three months into their stay holding the position until earlier this month Both astronauts maintained a professional demeanour despite the political tensions surrounding their delayed return In January former US President Donald Trump publicly criticised the Biden administration for the delay and pressed SpaceX founder Elon Musk to expedite their return SpaceX ultimately swapped the planned capsule with a used one allowing for an earlier returnWilmore 62 and Williams 59 both retired Navy captains likened the extended mission to a military deployment However the prolonged stay came at a personal cost Wilmore missed most of his younger daughters final year of high school while Williams maintained contact with her family via internet calls from space We have not been worried about her because she has been in good spirits said Falguni Pandya Williams cousin She was definitely ready to come homePrayers for their safe return were offered at 21 Hindu temples across the United States organised by the World Hindu Council of America Williams who has Indian and Slovenian heritage has openly spoken about her cultural roots Wilmorersquos Baptist church in Houston also held prayer sessions for the pairrsquos safe returnAccording to AP reports the astronauts will be flown to Houston once they are off the recovery ship They will undergo medical evaluations to adjust to gravity after their extended time in microgravity NASA plans to decommission the ISS by 2030 replacing it with privately operated stations to allow the agency to focus on missions to the Moon and MarsWith inputs from AP