Washington, DC [US]: NASA astronauts Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore, along with SpaceX Crew-9 astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, have undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) and are scheduled to return to Earth on Tuesday evening.
NASA will provide live coverage of the SpaceX Crew-9 ‘Dragon Freedom’ capsule’s journey back to Earth. Williams and Wilmore had initially traveled to the ISS on June 5 aboard a Boeing Starliner spacecraft but remained on the station due to technical issues with the Starliner.
In September 2024, NASA returned the uncrewed Starliner spacecraft to Earth to free up the docking port for other spacecraft. Now, after spending nine months in space, Williams and Wilmore are set to return on the SpaceX Dragon Freedom capsule.
NASA announced the update on X (formerly Twitter), stating:
“They’re on their way! Crew 9 undocked from the Space Station at 1:05 am ET (0505 UTC). Reentry and splashdown coverage begin on X, YouTube, and NASA+ at 4:45 pm ET (2145 UTC) this evening.”
The astronauts began their 17-hour journey back to Earth after packing up and closing the hatches in preparation for their departure.
Reflecting on his experience, Nick Hague said:
“It’s been a privilege to call the Space Station home, to play my part in its 25-year legacy of doing research for humanity, and to work with colleagues, now friends, from around the globe. My spaceflight career, like most, is full of the unexpected.”
NASA confirmed that the return timing was chosen based on favorable weather conditions off the Florida coast. Mission managers targeted an earlier return window to avoid less favorable conditions expected later in the week.
NASA emphasized that factors such as spacecraft readiness, recovery team preparation, weather, and sea conditions are being closely monitored to ensure a safe landing.
The Crew-9 mission follows a challenging period for Williams and Wilmore, who were left stranded on the ISS for nine months after their Starliner spacecraft faced technical difficulties, including helium leaks and reaction control thruster issues.
The situation drew attention after former US President Donald Trump urged Elon Musk to accelerate the astronauts’ return, criticizing the Biden administration for delaying the mission.
On Friday, NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the Crew-10 mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket to bring the stranded astronauts home.
Meanwhile, a separate SpaceX Dragon spacecraft recently docked with the ISS, carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, as announced by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.