Florida : Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth after a 17-hour journey. The Dragon spacecraft capsule splashed down in the sea near the coast of Florida at 3.27 am on March 19, Indian time. After this, further procedures began to check the health of all the passengers on board the spacecraft. NASA has broadcast the return of the astronauts live. They returned to earth from space station after 286 days . Indian prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed her all crew 9 members expressing his words through social platform X.
Sharing one photograph with Sunita Williams PM Modi in his statement said that ” Theirs has been a test of grit, courage and the boundless human spirit. Sunita Williams and the #Crew9 astronauts have once again shown us what perseverance truly means. Their unwavering determination in the face of the vast unknown will forever inspire millions. ”
He said that “Space exploration is about pushing the limits of human potential, daring to dream, and having the courage to turn those dreams into reality. Sunita Williams, a trailblazer and an icon, has exemplified this spirit throughout her career. We are incredibly proud of all those who worked tirelessly to ensure their safe return. They have demonstrated what happens when precision meets passion and technology meets tenacity. ”
Astronaut Sunita Williams came out of the Dragon capsule, feeling the Earth’s gravity for the first time after 286 days. Now she will undergo a preliminary health check and then leave for Houston with the Crew-9 team.
Butch Wilmore, who went to space with Sunita Williams in June 2024, has also been successfully evacuated from the Dragon spacecraft.
Actually, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, both are NASA astronauts and on June 5 last year, they left for the International Space Station in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. This was the first crew test flight of Boeing’s spacecraft – Starliner. That is, it was being tested whether it can take astronauts to the space station and bring them back or not. Although the mission was only for 10 days, but due to a technical fault in the Starliner spacecraft, both could not return to Earth. Starliner returned to Earth alone and both got stuck on the space station for 9 months.
The wait of more than 9 months is over. Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams has returned to Earth. Butch Wilmore and two other fellow astronauts have also come with her. These four astronauts have come in SpaceX’s Dragon capsule. 17 hours after taking off from the International Space Station, the Dragon capsule fell with the help of a parachute in the sea near the Florida coast of America at 3.27 am Indian time. But the 46 minutes before landing on Earth were as interesting as they were.