SpaceX’s Crew Dragon module has detached from the International Space Station (ISS) and is heading back to Earth. On board are four Crew-9 astronauts, including Boeing Starliner pilots Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. They are returning home after spending nine months in space.
The Crew Dragon module launched at 07:05 Kyiv time (05:05 GMT) on March 18, and the flight can be watched live via SpaceX’s broadcast. “It has been a privilege to call the station home, to live and work here, and to be part of a mission and a team that spans the entire globe, working together for the benefit of humanity,” said NASA astronaut Nick Hague. “Crew-9 is heading home.”
The landing process can be watched live on NASA’s website, with the broadcast starting at 22:45 Kyiv time (20:45 GMT) on March 18. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon module is set to begin its descent at 23:11 Kyiv time (21:11 GMT). Forty-six minutes later, it will touch down off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. NASA officials say the exact landing site will be confirmed closer to the return time.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams traveled to the ISS in June last year aboard the Boeing Starliner capsule as part of the company’s first-ever crewed mission. The mission was initially planned to last just 10 days, but due to multiple issues with the Starliner’s thrusters, NASA first delayed their return and later decided to bring the module back to Earth without the astronauts. As a result, Wilmore and Williams were integrated into the Crew-9 team. Two Crew-9 members arrived at the ISS in late September, leaving two open seats in the Crew Dragon capsule for Wilmore and Williams to return home once Crew-10 launched to the station.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore quickly transitioned from guests to full-fledged crew members. They conducted scientific experiments, repaired equipment, and even performed spacewalks. Suni Williams completed nine spacewalks, spending a total of 62 hours outside the station, setting a new record for the most time spent in spacewalks by a female astronaut over the course of her career.
The situation of the Starliner astronauts has attracted significant attention, especially in the last two months. Former President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk referred to the astronauts as “stranded in orbit” and claimed that the Biden administration kept them there longer than necessary “for political reasons.”
Source: space
