Undocked from ISS! Sunita Williams Begins Journey Home After Nine Months in Space

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, marooned on the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months due to a troubled Boeing Starliner test flight, embarked on their return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on Tuesday.

Joined by NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov, the duo undocked from the ISS early this morning, targeting a splashdown off Florida’s coast by early evening, weather permitting.

The pair launched June 5, expecting an eight-day mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner—the company’s first crewed test. Thruster malfunctions and helium leaks plagued the ascent, prompting NASA to deem the capsule too risky for return, sending it back empty in September.

Wilmore and Williams, reassigned to SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, saw their stay stretch from days to 286 days, exacerbated by delays in their replacement capsule’s readiness. SpaceX swapped in a used Dragon last month, shaving weeks off the timeline after President Donald Trump and Elon Musk pressed for haste, alleging Biden-era neglect—a claim NASA refuted.

“Farewell, have a great journey home,” NASA’s Anne McClain radioed as the capsule detached 260 miles above the Pacific, ending a saga that gripped global attention. Wilmore, 62, and Williams, 59—both retired Navy captains—adapted seamlessly, conducting experiments, repairing systems, and completing a January spacewalk together.

Williams, with 62 hours across nine spacewalks, now holds the record for most spacewalking time by a female astronaut. She commanded the ISS from September until March 2, handing over to Russia’s Alexey Ovchinin.

Despite the ordeal, the duo remained unflappable, dismissing “stuck” labels in orbit broadcasts. “We’re committed to the mission,” Wilmore said in February, echoing their military resilience. The extended stay strained families—Wilmore missed his daughter’s senior year, while Williams relied on calls to her mother. Their SpaceX ride, departing with generic suits sans custom name tags, mirrors past adaptability; Williams quipped, “We’re just Butch and Suni—everyone knows us.”

NASA’s dual-contractor strategy post-shuttle—SpaceX and Boeing—aims for redundancy until the ISS’s 2030 demise. This mission, with live NASA coverage, underscores SpaceX’s reliability as Boeing falters, setting the stage for private stations and deeper space exploration. Post-splashdown, Wilmore and Williams face Houston reunions and months of gravity readjustment, capping a testament to endurance.