After spending over nine months stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally set to return to Earth. NASA confirmed on Sunday that the long-awaited homecoming will take place on Tuesday, March 18, evening (GMT), as part of a high-stakes mission that has kept global audiences watching closely.
Williams and Wilmore will travel back alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which successfully docked at the ISS early Sunday. The capsule, part of NASA’s Crew-9 mission, was dispatched to retrieve the duo after months of uncertainty following the failure of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
The two astronauts have been stuck on the ISS since June 2024, when Starliner—on its maiden crewed voyage—suffered propulsion issues that rendered it unfit for their return journey.
NASA announced that the anticipated ocean splashdown off Florida’s coast is now scheduled for 5:57 pm local time on Tuesday (3:27 am IST, March 19), moving up the timeline to avoid unfavorable weather. "The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week," NASA said in a statement.
The space agency will also provide live coverage of the Crew Dragon's return, beginning with hatch closure preparations at 10:45 pm EDT on Monday, March 17 (around 8:30 am IST on March 18).
The return has drawn political and public attention. In a widely circulated video shared by Elon Musk on X, Williams and Wilmore expressed their gratitude to both Musk and former US President Donald Trump. "We are coming back before long so don't make those plans without me. We'll be back before too long," Williams said in the clip.
Wilmore added, "I tell you, well all of us have utmost respect for Mr Musk and obviously respect and admiration for President of United States Donald Trump. We appreciate them, we appreciate all what they do for us, human spaceflight for our nation and we're thankful for positions they are in."
The clip, captioned “Stranded NASA astronauts thank Elon Musk and Trump,” has garnered over 4.8 million views. Both Musk and Trump have previously criticized the Biden administration, claiming the astronauts were "abandoned" on the ISS for "political reasons." Musk also said SpaceX accelerated the return mission at Trump’s request.
Meanwhile, the arrival of the SpaceX Crew Dragon offered a lighter moment on Sunday when astronaut Nick Hague, wearing an alien mask, greeted Wilmore and Williams as he floated into the spacecraft, prompting smiles and laughter. Williams later addressed mission control: "It was a wonderful day. Great to see our friends arrive. Thank you so much."
The replacement crew, now onboard the ISS, will continue their mission while Williams, Wilmore, Hague, and Gorbunov prepare for their departure.