After nine months being ‘stuck’ on the International Space Station, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally back on Earth. Following a 17-hour journey back from space, the pair of astronauts made a splashdown near Tallahassee, Florida.
Although March 12 rescue mission was called off at the last minute, Williams and Wilmore were finally boarded onto their Dragon spacecraft and disembarked with Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov.
NASA gave people around the globe a chance to watch this historic moment live, with thousands tuning in to watch the craft make it out of orbit.
All four safely returned to Earth on March 18, with the long-awaited return of Williams and Wilmore being all anyone could talk about.
Landing right on time at 5:57 pm Eastern Time, Dragon successfully reentered the atmosphere and deployed its parachutes.
It was then over to the recovery vessels to climb aboard the capsule and check that everything is okay with everyone inside.
The main vessel (Megan) is on the way to Dragon, although it takes around 25 minutes to get there.
In the meantime, Williams and Wilmore are left bobbing in the ocean, although we’re told there’s air conditioning to keep things cool inside. We imagine it can get a little stuffy while inside their suits.
At least they’ve back on Earth, and while it’s not quite dry land just yet, we’re sure they’ve glad to be back from their extended stay in the cosmos.
xact time ‘stuck’ NASA astronauts will touch down on Earth after 9 months in space
The astronauts are finally on their way back after being ‘stranded’ on the ISS
After successfully undocking from the International Space Station this morning, we finally have an exact time that ‘stranded’ NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will land back on Earth after their nine month mission.
Technical delays left Williams and Wilmore ‘stuck’ on board the International Space Station (ISS) for 285 days in what was only supposed to be an 8 day venture.
Not only did the Boeing Starliner ship that they flew to the ISS in suffer issues, meaning that it had to return to Earth unmanned, but the SpaceX rocket that would then allow them to fly back home also fell victim to issues that seemed to persist until moments before takeoff.
US President Donald Trump has made it a priority to bring the pair back home since returning to office in January, ordering SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk to ‘go get’ them both, and both have also insisted that the blame lies with the former Biden administration.
Regardless of these claims though the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket finally made it to the ISS on March 16, allowing the Crew-10 astronauts to undergo the necessary handover process with Williams and Wilmore, allowing them to begin their journey back home.
As reported by Al Jazeera, the Crew-10 Dragon ship finally departed from the International Space Station at 1:05 a.m. EST this morning, as shown in a livestream from NASA on YouTube.
Current estimates indicate that the ship will begin its deorbit burn at around 5:11 p.m. EST, and shortly after it will splash into the ocean off the coast of Florida at roughly 5:57 p.m. EST. (21:57 GMT)
It will then take about an hour for the crew – including both Williams and Wilmore alongside Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov – to be retrieved from the ocean, and the entire process will once again be livestreamed on YouTube, starting at 4:45 p.m. EST.
While the astronauts will understandably be desperate to return to their families, which is something they’ve made clear to be a priority for them, it’s unfortunately going to be a challenging return to normal life after spending so much time in space.
They will be immediately stretchered off to a medical facility where they will spend six weeks in physical rehabilitation. This is due to the dangerous reduction in muscle mass and bone density that living for a lengthy period of time in low gravity causes, as your body – including your heart – has to work far less as it’s not being constantly dragged down.
They will undergo a number of cancer related screenings as a precaution due to the work that Williams and Wilmore conducted surrounding ultrasounds and radiation, as they could be under significant risk.
Suni Williams says she will likely never return to space after 8-day mission turned into 9 months
NASA astronauts Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Suni Williams reflect on their unexpectedly long mission as they head home after 286 days in space.
What was supposed to be an eight-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) turned into almost nine months due to technical failures on the Boeing Starliner.
As they prepared to leave, emotions ran high as Williams and Wilmore bid farewell to the new Crew-10 team, who are set to take over ISS operations for the next six months. Commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, are replacing Wilmore, Williams, and Crew-9 astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov.
After undocking from the ISS at 05:05 GMT (01:05 EDT) on Tuesday (18 March), the astronauts are now travelling in a SpaceX capsule on a 17-hour trip back to Earth. They’re expected to splash down off the coast of Florida at 21:57 GMT (17:57 EDT) later today.
However, according to a BBC report, Suni was saddened at the fact this might be her last space mission. “I think just the fact that we’re living up here, in this very unique place, gives you an amazing perspective,” she described. “I don’t want to lose that spark of inspiration when I leave, so I’m going to have to bottle it somehow.”
Speaking in the weeks before their departure, Wilmore said they weren’t fazed when their mission was extended.
“We came up prepared to stay long, even though we plan to stay short,” he said. “That’s what we do in human space flight. That’s what your nation’s human space flight programme is all about.”
The pair also sent a message of appreciation to President Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, thanking them for their role in getting them home.
❤️❤️
pic.twitter.com/aAkJRKsu1Q— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 16, 2025
But the journey home will be far from easy. The SpaceX Dragon capsule must endure a blazing re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere, facing temperatures of up to 1,600C (2,912°F).
As the spacecraft rapidly slows down, the astronauts will experience intense g-forces, about four times the Earth’s gravity. Four large parachutes will deploy and allow the craft to land gently in the ocean, where recovery teams will be waiting to bring them aboard.
Once back on solid ground, Williams and Wilmore will undergo rehabilitation and recovery treatments to re-adjust to life with gravity again. Nevertheless, their return marks the end of an unforgettable mission that made international headlines.
