Sunita Williams Return: NASA Confirms Date

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

NASA has announced the return date for Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to Earth.
Astronauts will return via the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Propulsion issues stranded the astronauts on the ISS for nine months.
The ocean splashdown near the Florida coast is set for March 19 at 3:27 AM IST.
Donald Trump spoke about the safe return of Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

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NASA has confirmed that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months due to technical issues with their Starliner spacecraft, will return to Earth on Tuesday. This Sunita Williams return is highly anticipated. Their safe return is awaited by everyone.

Originally on a 10-day mission, the two astronauts found themselves unable to return after their Boeing Starliner capsule experienced propulsion malfunctions. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will now return aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, which successfully docked at the ISS on Sunday. They will be joined by NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

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NASA stated that the ocean splashdown is expected to occur near the Florida coast at approximately 5:57 pm ET on Tuesday (2157 GMT and 3:27 am IST on March 19). The return was initially scheduled for Wednesday but was moved up to ensure better weather conditions for the landing.

“The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week,” NASA said in a statement.

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The arrival of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule is part of NASA’s routine crew rotation mission, but this flight took on added urgency as it became the long-awaited means of returning Williams and Wilmore to Earth.

As anticipation for their return builds, Elon Musk on Monday shared a video of the two astronauts expressing gratitude to him and US President Donald Trump for aiding their return. The 25-second clip, posted on social media platform X, features Williams saying, “We are coming back before long, so don’t make those plans without me. We’ll be back before too long.”

Wilmore also thanked Musk and Trump, stating, “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 had previously commented on their prolonged stay in space, blaming the Biden administration for leaving them behind. “We love you, and we’re coming up to get you. You shouldn’t have been up there for so long. The most incompetent president in our history allowed this to happen to you, but this president won’t let that happen. We’re going to get you out,” he said in an Oval Office address.

He also made specific remarks about Williams, referring to her hair in zero gravity. “And I see the woman with the wild hair-a good, solid head of hair she’s got. There’s no kidding, no games with her hair. But, you know, there’s a danger up there, too. They could face failures, which would be very bad. We’ve got to get them out. So, I authorized Elon a week ago,” Trump added.

As Williams and Wilmore prepared for their long-awaited return, Trump promised to personally greet them upon arrival, saying, “When they come back, I’ll greet them. How about that?” Trump will indeed meet Sunita Williams upon her return.

Aakhir Tak – Key Takeaways to Remember

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s return from space is scheduled for March 19.
They will return to Earth via the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Technical issues caused the delay in their return.
The landing will occur in the ocean near the Florida coast.
Donald Trump expressed his happiness over the safe return of Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore.