Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and her colleague, Butch Wilmore, have finally left the International Space Station (ISS) after being stranded for over nine months. The two undocked from the ISS at 10:35 AM IST and are now en route to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft with a scheduled splashdown off the Florida coast at 3:27 AM IST on Wednesday.
In a video shared by NASA, Williams and Wilmore were seen taking part in a final photo op with fellow astronauts before boarding the spacecraft. NASA’s Crew-9 mission which had adjusted its roster to accommodate the stranded pair will also be returning with them.
Mission Delay and Unexpected Stay
Williams and Wilmore originally launched to the ISS on June 5, 2024, as part of Boeing’s Starliner mission, a short-duration test flight. However the spacecraft developed propulsion issues, leaving the astronauts unable to return. Boeing’s Starliner returned to Earth uncrewed, and NASA reassigned the pair to SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, extending their stay far beyond the typical six-month rotation.
On Sunday, Crew-10 arrived at the ISS to replace them, paving the way for their long-awaited return home.
Williams and Wilmore’s extended mission ranks as the sixth-longest single-mission stay by a US astronaut. The record for the longest American mission is held by NASA’s Frank Rubio, who spent 371 days in space in 2023. The world record remains with Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who stayed aboard the Mir space station for 437 consecutive days.
Political Controversy Over Delayed Return
The prolonged stay led to political controversy, with US President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk accusing former President Joe Biden of abandoning the astronauts. Trump, who returned to office in January, claimed Biden’s administration neglected their rescue to avoid embarrassment.
“They shamefully forgot about the Astronauts because they considered it to be a very embarrassing event for them,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Musk also stated he had offered a “rescue” mission outside routine crew rotations, which he claimed was ignored by Biden’s team.
With their return now imminent, Williams and Wilmore are expected to undergo extensive medical evaluations to assess the effects of prolonged spaceflight on their bodies.