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NASA has reported that astronaut Sunita Williams and business partner Butch Wilmore will be coming back to Earth on March 18th evening, which is a day earlier than scheduled. Due to good weather at sea near Florida, the timing has been altered.

NASA and SpaceX spokespeople performed a weather check on Sunday, saying that it seems very likely that the best conditions for splashdown will be at 5:57 PM ET (9:57 pm GMT, 3:27 am IST) on March 18. The safe return plan was originally set to take off on Wednesday, but bringing it forward ensures the landing conditions are better for the crew.

The astronauts who have been residing on the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024 will make their way back on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. Along with them will be fellow Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Russian Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Initially, Williams and Wilmore made use of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to travel to the ISS for what was planned to be a simple 7-day mission. Sadly, the Starliner’s propulsion system encountered technical complications along with a helium leak forcing NASA to bring the ship back to Earth without its crew in September, leaving the two astronauts stuck in orbit.

The nine-month stay far surpassed the typical six month ISS rotation period. For the duration of the crew’s extended mission, NASA made sure to send new supplies for their stay, such as clothing and personal items, to enable the crew’s prolonged time in space. NASA intends to cover the return leg of the Crew Dragon's journey live beginning Monday evening with the hatch closure readiness activities.


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