The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has confirmed that stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will return to Earth on March 18 (ET) (March 19 in IST) after nine months due to technical issues with their Starliner spacecraft.
NASA stated that if weather permits, the SpaceX capsule carrying Wilmore, Williams and two other astronauts will undock from the space station early Tuesday and splash down off Florida's coast later that evening.
Wilmore and Williams had originally left for a 10-day mission in June, 2024 when they launched on Boeing's first astronaut flight but the Starliner capsule experienced propulsion malfunctions and they were stuck in space for nine months. Nasa astronauts Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will be joining them in their undocking procedure.
What Did NASA announce?
The Crew-9 Return operation has been strategised by NASA and according to their timeline forecast, they said, "Mission managers are targeting an earlier Crew-9 return opportunity based on favorable conditions forecasted for the evening of Tuesday, March 18."
They said that 'Undocking' is expected to begin at 1:05 am and following the weather conditions at the splashdown sites on March 18 the deorbit burn will start.
The 'Splashdown' is expected on Florida라이브 바카라 coast at 5:57pm.
"The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favourable weather conditions expected for later in the week," NASA added in their statement.
They also said, "Mission managers will continue monitoring weather conditions in the area, as Dragon라이브 바카라 undocking depends on various factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will confirm the specific splashdown location closer to the Crew-9 return."
Elon Musk on Monday shared a video on social media platform X where Williams and Wilmore can be seen thanking Musk and Trump for helping their journey back to Earth.
Williams said, "We are coming back before long, so don't make those plans without me. We'll be back before too long."
Meanwhile, Wilmore thanking Musk and Trump said, "All of us have the utmost respect for Mr. Musk and obviously respect and admiration for President of the 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 the positions they are in."
Trump On Bringing Back Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore
US President Donald Trump earlier in March spoke about the possibility of personally launching a rescue team into orbit to help bring astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams back to Earth — and blasted former President Joe Biden for their eight-day mission stretching to nine months and counting.
He also had some words of appreciation for NASA라이브 바카라 Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams' hair as he told a pair of stranded astronauts aboard the International Space Station that "we're coming up to get you."
“We have two astronauts that are stuck in space. I have asked Elon (Musk), I said, ‘Do me a favour. Can you get them out?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ He is preparing to go up, I think in two weeks.”
"And I see the woman with the wild hair, good, solid head of hair she's got. There's no kidding, there's no games with her hair,” Trump said during remarks in the Oval Office Thursday while talking about Williams.
When asked what his message is for the two astronauts, Trump said “We love you, and we're coming up to get you. And you shouldn't have been up there so long.”
Space X Capsule Arrives At ISS
A SpaceX crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, delivering the replacements for NASA's two stuck astronauts.
The four newcomers — representing the US, Japan and Russia — will spend some time learning the station's ins and outs from Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
The Boeing Starliner capsule encountered so many problems that NASA insisted it come back empty, leaving its test pilots behind to wait for a SpaceX lift.
While the seven space station residents prepared for the new arrivals, one of the Russians — Ivan Vagner — briefly put on an alien mask in a lighthearted moment. Wilmore swung open the space station's hatch and rang the ship's bell as the new crew floated in one by one and were greeted with hugs and handshakes..
“It was a wonderful day. Great to see our friends arrive,” Williams told Mission Control.
Wilmore's and Williams' ride arrived back in late September with a downsized crew of two and two empty seats reserved for the leg back. But more delays resulted when their replacements' brand new capsule needed extensive battery repairs. An older capsule took its place, pushing up their return by a couple weeks to mid-March.
Until the four arrive on earth, there will be 11 aboard the orbiting lab, representing the US, Russia and Japan
