After being stranded for over nine months, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are preparing to depart from the International Space Station (ISS). Alongside fellow astronauts Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, they will undock aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft at 10:30 am on Wednesday, with a planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico at 3:30 am on Thursday. The astronauts have been seen packing and closing hatches as part of the final preparations for their return to Earth.
NASA has scheduled live coverage of the Crew-9 return mission, starting with hatch closure preparations at 10:45 pm EDT on Monday. NASA and SpaceX mission managers have assessed weather and splashdown conditions off Florida’s coast and are targeting an earlier return opportunity due to favorable conditions on Tuesday evening. The return timeline allows ample time for handover duties aboard the station while ensuring flexibility in case of unexpected weather changes. Factors like spacecraft readiness and sea states will continue to be monitored for the final decision on the splashdown location.
Wilmore and Williams originally traveled to the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024, intending to stay for a short mission. However, after Starliner experienced helium leaks and thruster malfunctions, the spacecraft returned to Earth unmanned in September. The delay in their return sparked criticism, including comments from former US President Donald Trump, who accused the Biden administration of neglecting the astronauts. Following these concerns, a Falcon 9 rocket launched the Crew-10 mission to retrieve them. NASA now awaits the successful completion of their return journey.
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