NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) after an extraordinary nine-month mission, which had initially been planned for only eight days.
Their trip back began on March 18, 2025, on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, accompanied by fellow astronauts Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
This morning, astronauts put on their suits to start their journey as they boarded the spacecraft, while Crew-10 astronauts said farewell before sealing the hatch.
Williams and Wilmore took off on June 5, 2024, during Boeing’s inaugural crewed test flight of the Starliner spacecraft.
However, technical problems such as propulsion system failures delayed their return, making them stay on the ISS while the Starliner was returned to Earth without crew in September 2024.
This unanticipated prolongation enabled them to take part in more than 150 scientific experiments while they were in microgravity.
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The Crew Dragon spacecraft is scheduled for a 17-hour journey returning to Earth.
Following undocking, the spacecraft moved away from the ISS to commence its descent phase.
As it nears reentry, the Crew Dragon will discard its trunk and position its heat shield downward to endure the extreme heat produced during atmospheric reentry.
Upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will release four parachutes to further reduce its speed.
