Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore Return to Earth After Extended ISS Stay

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore splashed down off the coast of Florida early Wednesday, concluding an unexpected nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying the pair, along with American Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and deployed parachutes before landing at 3:27 a.m. IST.

Originally slated for a brief roundtrip in June last year to test Boeing’s Starliner, Williams and Wilmore were stranded on the orbital outpost when the spacecraft encountered propulsion problems and had to return empty. Over 286 days, the two traveled 121,347,491 miles and completed 4,576 orbits of Earth.

Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov logged 171 days in space, traveling 72,553,920 miles and completing 2,736 orbits. The Crew-9 mission marked Gorbunov’s first spaceflight. Hague has spent 374 days in space across two missions, Williams has logged 608 days over three flights, and Wilmore has totaled 464 days over three missions.

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Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore Return to Earth After Extended ISS Stay

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