Stranded NASA astronauts, incl. Sunita Williams, return to Earth tomorrow

Photo : ANI

NASA has said that the SpaceX Crew-9 mission will bring back four astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, March 18. The crew includes NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Sunita Williams, and Nick Hague, along with Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Wilmore and Williams have been on the ISS for more than nine months. They were supposed to return earlier, but their spacecraft, Boeing’s Starliner, had problems with its engines, making it unsafe to travel back. Their mission was planned for a few days, but they had to stay much longer because of this issue.

Stay informed with the latest news. Follow DXB News Network on WhatsApp Channel  

NASA changed the return date from March 19 to March 18 because of weather conditions. “This new date gives the space station crew enough time to complete their work and helps avoid bad weather later in the week,” NASA said.

The spacecraft will leave the ISS on Tuesday at 5:57 PM (21:57 GMT) and head back to Earth. NASA will show live coverage of the return on NASA+ from March 17. The broadcast will include the closing of the spacecraft’s hatch, undocking from the ISS, and landing on Earth. A media briefing is also planned for 7:30 PM ET, and journalists must register by 5 PM ET on March 17 to join.