Nasa has announced the return date for astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore,

 

Nasa has announced the return date for astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been on the ISS for more than nine months due to problems with the Starliner spacecraft. They are scheduled to splash down in the ocean near Florida at 3:27 am IST on March 19, which was moved from Wednesday for more favorable weather.

Nasa has indicated that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been on the International Space Station (ISS) for an extended period of over nine months owing to issues with their Starliner spacecraft, will return to Earth early Wednesday morning.

The pair, who were on a mission planned for just 10 days, were unable to come back due to propulsion issues with their Boeing Starliner capsule. They will now return aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, which successfully docked with the ISS on Sunday. Along with them will be Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Nasa mentioned that the ocean landing is anticipated to happen close to the coast of Florida at about 5:57 pm ET on Tuesday (2157 GMT and 3:27 am IST on March 19). The return was originally planned for Wednesday but was advanced to ensure better weather for the landing.

"The adjusted return window allows the crew members on the space station sufficient time for handover tasks, while also offering operational adaptability in light of expected poor weather later this week," Nasa stated in a release.

The incoming SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule is part of Nasa's standard crew rotation process, but this particular mission has become crucial as it is the anticipated method to bring Williams and Wilmore back home.

As excitement grows for their return, Elon Musk released a video on Monday featuring the two astronauts expressing their appreciation to him and US President Donald Trump for their help in facilitating their return. The 25-second video, shared on social media platform X, includes Williams stating, "We’re coming back soon, so don’t make any plans without us. We’ll be back before too long."