NASA Astronauts Return to Earth After 9-Month ISS Stint
After being stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are finally returning to Earth. The duo undocked from the ISS at 10:35 AM IST, embarking on a 17-hour journey home aboard the Dragon spacecraft.
According to NASA, the hatch closure preparations have begun, and the spacecraft is expected to touch down on Earth at 3:27 AM tomorrow. The astronauts will splash down in the ocean off the Florida coast, marking the end of their extended stay on the ISS.
Wilmore and Williams were initially supposed to return in June last year, but technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft forced them to extend their stay. They will be joined by NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov on their return journey, who have also been on the ISS since June.
