Mumbai, March 10: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who embarked on Boeing Starliner's first crewed flight test in June, are finally preparing to return to Earth. Their mission, initially planned for just 10 days, stretched longer due to technical issues with the Starliner capsule. The delay has led to their return alongside the Crew-9 team. Their departure coincides with SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission, which is set to take over operations on the International Space Station (ISS).

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing’s Starliner on June 5 last year. Originally planned as a week-long mission, their stay extended significantly due to technical problems, including helium leaks, which made the spacecraft unsafe for their return. Throughout their extended mission, the astronauts have been living and conducting research on the ISS, a structure comparable in size to a six-bedroom house. Sunita Williams Return To Earth Landing Date Confirmed: NASA Reveals When 'Stuck-in-Space' Indian-Origin Astronaut Will Come Back on Earth With Barry Wilmore.

Sunita Williams’ Return Date and Time

Sunita Williams is part of the Crew-10 mission, which will launch at 7:48 p.m. EDT on March 12. The mission will take off aboard a Dragon spacecraft on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy. To ensure they remain healthy before joining the current crew, the new astronauts will spend two weeks in isolation ahead of the launch.

Where Will Sunita Williams Land?

 

According to a few sources NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will return to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew-9 mission. Their spacecraft is set to splash down in the Atlantic Ocean near Florida, following SpaceX’s standard water landing procedure for Crew Dragon capsules.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 10, 2025 03:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).