Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore leave for Earth after 9 months on ISS; capture final moments in Space

PTC Web Desk: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have finally begun their long-awaited return to Earth after spending over nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Their journey back commenced earlier today as they boarded the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, leaving behind an unexpectedly prolonged mission.

Before departing, NASA shared a video on its social media platforms showing Sunita Williams, 62, and Butch Wilmore, 59, participating in a final photo session aboard the ISS. The duo, who initially flew to space in June last year for what was supposed to be a short-duration test mission, had their plans altered due to technical malfunctions in Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.

At precisely 10.35 am IST, their capsule undocked from the ISS, beginning a 17-hour journey back to Earth. The SpaceX Dragon is expected to splash down off the coast of Florida around 3.27 am IST on Wednesday.

Sunita Williams and Wilmore originally launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner on June 5, 2024, intending to complete a brief mission testing the spacecraft’s capabilities. However, propulsion failures left the vehicle unfit for a return flight, forcing NASA to reassess their options. Starliner was ultimately sent back to Earth without its crew, leaving the astronauts stranded in space far beyond their expected timeline.

NASA then adjusted the Crew-9 mission, which launched in September 2024, to accommodate the two stranded astronauts. Instead of the usual four-member crew, the Dragon spacecraft carried only two astronauts—NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—to ensure space for Williams and Wilmore.

Their replacement, Crew-10, successfully docked with the ISS on Sunday, paving the way for the much-anticipated return of Williams, Wilmore, Hague, and Gorbunov.

While their unexpected extension went beyond the typical six-month ISS crew rotation, Williams and Wilmore’s mission duration ranks sixth among the longest single-mission stays for US astronauts. NASA’s Frank Rubio still holds the record for the longest American spaceflight, spending 371 consecutive days in orbit in 2023. The global record remains with Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 days aboard the Mir space station.