After being stranded for more than nine months in space, Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are finally on their way back to Earth.
Their extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) came to an end early Tuesday (Eastern Time) when they departed in a SpaceX capsule, along with two other astronauts. The capsule undocked while orbiting 260 miles (418 kilometers) above the Pacific Ocean and aimed for a splashdown off the Florida coast by early evening, weather permitting.
The carefully choreographed departure process began at 11.20 pm (ET) on March 17, when the Dragon capsule’s hatch was securely closed. At 1around 1.05 am (ET) on March 18, the capsule autonomously undocked from the ISS, marking the official start of their journey home.
As the capsule approach Earth, additional critical maneuvers are in place to ensure a secure return. At 5.06 pm (ET), the capsule will jettison its trunk, an unpressurized cargo hold, to prepare for reentry. Five minutes later, at 5.11 pm, the deorbit burn will begin, slowing the capsule enough to fall back through Earth’s atmosphere. By 5.22 pm (ET), the nosecone will be closed to protect the docking port during reentry with splashdown expected at 5.57 pm (ET), if all goes by schedule.
Once the SpaceX capsule splashes down and recovery operations conclude, the astronauts will be flown to Houston for a long-awaited reunion with their loved ones, bringing an end to their dramatic and unplanned marathon mission.
Wilmore and Williams originally launched on Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule on June 5 last year, expecting to spend just over a week in orbit. However, a series of technical issues with Starliner forced Nasa astronauts to send the spacecraft back to Earth without them. The two astronauts were transferred to SpaceX, but further delays with the new capsule pushed their return into March this year.
Their departure was made possible by the recent arrival of a relief crew, which included Nasa’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov. With their replacements in place, Wilmore and Williams could finally head home. “We’ll miss you, but have a great journey home,” Nasa astronaut Anne McClain radioed as the capsule pulled away from the station.
The astronauts’ unexpected prolonged stay captured global attention, with many likening their plight to being “stuck at work.” While other astronauts have logged longer missions, none have faced such uncertainty and mission extensions.
Throughout their extended mission, Wilmore and Williams became full-fledged members of the station’s crew. They conducted scientific experiments, performed equipment repairs, and even completed a spacewalk together. Williams, who took over as station commander three months into their stay, set a new record with 62 hours logged over nine spacewalks—the most by any female astronaut.
Complicating their return was a political twist in January when former President Donald Trump urged SpaceX founder Elon Musk to expedite the astronauts’ journey home, criticizing the Biden administration for the delay. In response, SpaceX accelerated preparations, substituting the replacement crew’s brand-new capsule with a used one to hasten their return.
Nasa originally contracted both SpaceX and Boeing to transport astronauts to and from the ISS following the end of the space shuttle program. The agency plans to continue these missions until the station is retired in 2030 and replaced by commercially operated platforms, allowing NASA to focus on deep-space exploration.