Washington, D.C.: Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams and her crewmate Butch Wilmore have safely returned to Earth after an unexpected nine months stay in space. The duo, who initially embarked on the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, splashed down off the Florida coast at 5:57 p.m. ET on Tuesday (3:27 a.m. IST, Wednesday), marking the end of a prolonged and challenging mission.
NASA confirmed that both astronauts were in good health after their extended stay in space and were assisted by recovery teams upon landing. Williams and Wilmore splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule after completing a mission that involved multiple research experiments and critical maintenance work aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Williams and Wilmore launched aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, for the CFT mission. Originally planned as an eight-day mission, it was extended to approximately nine months due to technical issues with the Starliner capsule. The astronauts finally returned to Earth on March 18, 2025, aboard a SpaceX capsule.
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Sunita Williams, known for her dedication and remarkable achievements in space exploration, participated in numerous scientific experiments related to human physiology, technology testing, and biological research during her mission. Her contributions have been vital to understanding the long-term effects of microgravity on the human body, which will help pave the way for future deep-space missions.
The mission was initially scheduled for a shorter duration, but due to unforeseen delays and technical adjustments, the astronauts remained on the ISS for an extended period. During her time in space, Williams conducted multiple spacewalks to perform critical maintenance and upgrades to the station's systems.
