Safe Splashdown: Sunita Williams and Crew Return to Earth After 286 Days
After spending 286 days in space, astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have safely returned to Earth. Their spacecraft landed in the waters off the coast of Florida, USA, in the early hours of Wednesday (IST).
NASA confirmed that the astronauts' journey from space back to Earth was completed without any issues. Along with Williams and Wilmore, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebennikov also returned on the same spacecraft. The crew had embarked on their mission in June last year.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying the astronauts, undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday at 10:35 AM (IST). After a successful re-entry, the capsule splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean, near the Florida coast, on Wednesday. A U.S. Navy recovery team was deployed to retrieve the returning astronauts.
Following the landing, the recovery team secured the module and transported it to a nearby ship. The astronauts were then extracted using hydraulic equipment. The hatch of the Dragon capsule was opened, and Nick Hague was the first to exit. Five minutes later, at 4:22 AM (IST), Sunita Williams stepped out, smiling.
Weeks of Medical Examinations Await Astronauts
Despite their safe return, the astronauts will not immediately reunite with their families. They will remain in a crew quarters facility, where they will undergo extensive health examinations for several weeks before being cleared to meet their loved ones.
Mission Extended from 8 Days to 286 Days
Williams and Wilmore initially traveled to space aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft in June last year, for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission. However, due to technical failures, their spacecraft became stranded in orbit. Though engineers eventually repaired the Starliner and brought it back to Earth, NASA deemed it too risky for the astronauts to return in the same vehicle.
NASA then assigned the responsibility of bringing them home to Elon Musk’s SpaceX. However, multiple delays pushed back their return mission, extending their stay in space from the planned eight days to a staggering 286 days.
NASA Celebrates a Successful Return
Following the astronauts’ safe landing, NASA officials held a press conference. Joel Montalbano, NASA’s Deputy Associate Administrator, and Operations Coordinator Bill Spetch stated, "NASA's esteemed astronauts have landed safely. Over nine months, they have conducted more than 900 hours of research across 150 different topics."
