Sunita Williams To Return Tomorrow After Unexpected Nine-Month ISS Mission; SpaceX's Crew Dragon To Splashdown Off Florida Coast

Two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months, are finally set to return to Earth on Tuesday (18 March) evening, NASA confirmed and reported by NDTV.

Their unexpected extended stay came after propulsion issues rendered their original return spacecraft, the Boeing Starliner, unfit for travel.

The duo will be joined by NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which docked at the ISS early Sunday morning. Hatch closure procedures will begin Monday evening, and the journey will be broadcast live.

NASA has moved their ocean splashdown off the coast of Florida to 5:57 PM EDT on Tuesday (3:27 AM IST, Wednesday), slightly earlier than initially planned, to avoid deteriorating weather conditions later in the week.

Wilmore and Williams originally embarked on a short-duration test flight of the Boeing Starliner in June, meant to last only a few days. 

However, their mission took an unexpected turn when the spacecraft’s propulsion system malfunctioned, forcing NASA to keep them aboard the ISS while assessing solutions. 

Their nine-month stay far exceeded the standard six-month ISS rotation for astronauts, making it one of the longest unintended space missions in recent history.

While their extended stay is notable, it is still far from record-breaking. The longest US space mission was set by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who spent 371 days aboard the ISS in 2023. 

The all-time record remains with Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 continuous days on the Mir space station.