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NASA Astronauts Return to Earth Aboard SpaceX Dragon
After a nine-month odyssey, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore splashed down off the coast of Florida, marking the end of an unexpectedly long mission. Their journey, originally intended as a short test flight aboard Boeing's Starliner, was extended due to technical issues with the Starliner capsule. This ultimately led to a successful return aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule, accompanied by astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov.
A Lengthy Stay at the ISS
Williams and Wilmore launched on June 5, 2024, for what should have been a brief test mission. However, Starliner's propulsion problems forced NASA to return the capsule empty, leaving the astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for an extra 278 days. Even the SpaceX Dragon's return was delayed by a month due to unforeseen technical problems.
The SpaceX Dragon's Return
The SpaceX Dragon capsule, launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket, completed the 17-hour return journey, a significantly longer trip than Russia's Soyuz spacecraft. This longer journey is due to factors like orbital alignment, controlled deorbit burn, atmospheric re-entry, and weather considerations. The astronauts, healthy and smiling, were extracted from the capsule shortly after splashdown at 3:27 am IST on March 19, 2025.
A Dramatic Conclusion
The mission highlights both the success of SpaceX's Crew Dragon and the ongoing challenges faced by Boeing's Starliner program. The extended stay, circling Earth 4,576 times and travelling 195 million kilometers, represents a dramatic chapter in space exploration, a testament to human resilience and the adaptability of space agencies navigating unexpected challenges.
Learn More
For more updates and details, visit NASA's official website and follow along with live coverage from reliable news sources.
