NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally set to return to Earth in March 2025, after an extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Their mission, initially planned for just eight days, stretched to nearly nine months due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. NASA has now confirmed that the duo will return aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, with the expected landing date set for March 16.
When will Williams return to Earth?
NASA officials explained that the return of Crew 9—which includes Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, NASA astronaut Nick Hague, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—is dependent on the successful launch of Crew 10. Currently, Crew 10 is scheduled to launch on March 12 at 7:48 pm EDT. If the launch proceeds as planned, Crew 9 will undock on March 16 following a two-day handover period on March 14 and 15.
However, if Crew 10’s launch is delayed, Crew 9’s return will also be pushed back. Backup launch dates for Crew 10 are available on March 13 at 7:35 pm and March 14 at 7:04 pm, which would shift Crew 9’s return to March 17 or 18 accordingly.
Sunita Williams reflects on her final space mission
In a recent interview, Sunita Williams was asked whether she was feeling emotional about what could be her final spaceflight. “Oh, don’t remind me this might be my last flight. That’s a little sad, I am trying not to think about it too much,” she said. She also hinted at leaving a small surprise for the next ISS crew, stating, “Maybe they have to find something… I am not going to tell you where. They’ll have to just find it.”
What is SpaceX’s role in bringing Crew 9 back?
NASA has officially certified SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which launches aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Despite this, former US President Donald Trump recently claimed that he had asked Elon Musk to assist in bringing Crew 9 back to Earth.
Trump alleged that Musk is preparing to send Starship to retrieve the astronauts, saying, “I’ve authorised Elon… We have two people up there that Biden and Kamala left up there… He’s got a Starship, and they’re preparing it right now.” However, NASA has already confirmed SpaceX’s Crew Dragon will be the official spacecraft used for the return mission.