The countdown has begun. NASA's stranded astronauts are finally heading back to Earth after enduring a grueling nine months in space. Following months of uncertainty, Sunita Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) at 1:05 a.m. ET (5:05 a.m. GMT) aboard the Dragon spacecraft, designed by Elon Musk's SpaceX.
They are joined by NASA's Nick Hague and Russia's Aleksandr Gorbunov for the 17-hour journey home. If everything goes according to plan, they are expected to splash down off the coast of Florida at 5:57 p.m. ET (9:57 p.m. GMT). The stranded pair, were originally supposed to be in space for only 10 days last summer.
Homeward Bound
"Crew Nine is going home," said Hague, the commander of the departing Crew Dragon, moments after their journey back to Earth began. "On behalf of crew nine, it was a privilege to call space home... to live and work... in cooperation for the benefit of humanity. To our colleagues and dear friends who remain on the station, we know the station is in great hands. We're excited to see what you guys are going to accomplish and we'll be waiting for ya [sic]."
NASA broadcasted the remarkable mission live, capturing every key moment from the time the duo were secured inside the spacecraft to the closing of the hatch—an event that occurred two hours before departure.
Wilmore was strapped in on the far left of the hatch, while Williams was secured on the far right. Both blew kisses toward the screen as the realization sank in that they were finally heading home.
However, there was a minor issue before takeoff when Takuya Onishi, one of the four new astronauts replacing Williams and Wilmore, noticed small dust particles on the hatch seals between the spacecraft and the space station.
The dust particles had to be completely cleared to maintain an airtight seal before takeoff, a task that Onishi promptly handled.
End of the Ordeal
Wilmore and Williams have been stranded on the ISS since last June after their Boeing Starliner capsule experienced leaks and mechanical failures, prompting NASA to send the spacecraft back to Earth without any crew onboard.
The incident dealt a major blow to Boeing's commercial spaceflight aspirations, leaving SpaceX as the only available option to return the astronauts home.
Since then, the pair had to wait for a ride on Hague and Gorbunov's return shuttle, which could only launch after SpaceX's Crew 10 arrived over the weekend to take over their duties at the ISS.
Elon Musk has claimed that efforts to bring Wilmore and Williams back sooner were blocked by former President Joe Biden and that the mission was delayed due to political disputes.
Officials from the Biden administration have refuted claims that the astronauts were left in space for political reasons.
Due to the delays, Wilmore and Williams will have spent about 285 days in space, ranking them sixth among NASA's longest single-mission spaceflight holders, just behind Peggy Whitson, who logged 289 days.
The current record is held by Frank Rubio, who spent 371 days in space after a leak in Russia's Soyuz capsule left him stranded on the ISS in 2022.
