After a prolonged mission marked by delays and technical setbacks, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are finally heading back to Earth, departing the International Space Station early Tuesday aboard a SpaceX capsule.
The two veteran astronauts, both retired U.S. Navy test pilots, were joined by two other crew members as they undocked from the space station at 1:05 a.m. ET (0505 GMT) aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft, beginning a 17-hour journey home.
The group, part of NASA’s Crew-9 rotation mission, is expected to splash down off the coast of Florida later on Tuesday at 5:57 p.m. ET.
“Crew-9 is going home,” said commander Nick Hague from inside the capsule as it slowly backed up and away from the station for what a NASA official described on the live webcast of the event as “the trip downhill.”
Hague said it was a privilege to “call the station home” as part of an international effort for the “benefit of humanity.”
According to NASA, weather conditions for the return were forecast to be “pristine,” setting the stage for a smooth landing.
Dressed in full re-entry suits, boots and helmets, the crew were seen in live NASA footage sharing hugs, laughs and photographs with their station colleagues before boarding the capsule for final checks, including pressure, communications and seal tests.
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Wilmore and Williams’ return marks the end of an unusually prolonged mission, initially intended to last just over a week. The astronauts had launched last June aboard Boeing’s Starliner on what was supposed to be an eight-day test flight.
However, a series of propulsion issues with the Starliner led to multiple delays, eventually prompting NASA to reassign their return to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon under its standard crew rotation schedule.
The complications surrounding the Starliner have not only raised questions over Boeing’s readiness but have also drawn political attention.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who assumed office in January, called for an expedited return of the astronauts and claimed, without evidence, that former President Joe Biden “abandoned” them on the ISS for political reasons.
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