Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore Return to Earth after a Record 289-days Mission
Moneylife Digital Team 19 March 2025
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams safely returned to earth on Tuesday after a record 286-day mission in space, marking the end of an extended stay aboard the International Space Station. 
  
The SpaceX Crew Dragon, carrying Butch Wilmore, Sunita Williams, American Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, re-entered earth's atmosphere before deploying parachutes for a smooth splashdown off the Florida coast at 5:57pm local time.
 
 
The spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Florida just minutes before 6pm, marking the successful conclusion of an unexpected and prolonged stay on the International Space Station (ISS).
 
The capsule was later retrieved by a recovery ship, and Mr Hague was the first to exit. Ms Williams emerged third, smiling and waving as she was assisted out of the spacecraft.
 
Originally, Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore had planned to spend only eight days in space when they launched on 6 June 2024, aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. However, due to a malfunction in the spacecraft, their return was delayed, and they were eventually brought back on SpaceX's Dragon capsule.
 
Both astronauts will undergo a 45-day rehabilitation programme to readjust to gravity following their extended stay in microgravity.
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