Sunita Williams Returns to Earth After Nine Months in Space
Producer: Priyanka Das | Editor: Sujata Singh March 19, 2025
Veteran astronaut Sunita Williams set her foot back on Earth moments after she, aboard SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft, splashed down off the Florida coast on Wednesday.
The Dragon touched down the water at 3.27 am IST, bringing cheers to the officials monitoring the rescue operation.
Crew9 commander Nick Hague was the first to come out of the Dragon with the assistance of the ground crew, followed by Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Sunita Williams then emerged out of the Dragon, waving her hands and smiling, being helped out by the officials, feeling Earth’s gravity.
Butch Wilmore was the last to come out of the capsule. The spacecraft covered a journey of nearly 17 hours to reach the Earth.
To much of their surprise, they were welcomed by a group of dolphins as the spacecraft splashed down into the waters.
Williams and Wilmore had flown to the ISS on June 5 last year aboard Boeing’s Starliner for what was meant to be an eight-day mission.
