After over nine months of waiting, Sunita Williams has begun her journey back to Earth; now, 17 hours of waiting remain.

After more than nine months of waiting, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have begun their journey back to Earth. The SpaceX Freedom Dragon capsule, carrying the Crew-9 mission team, departed from the International Space Station (ISS) today at 10:35 AM Indian time. NASA confirmed that the hatch closure process, which precedes the undocking, was successfully completed. Along with Sunita and Butch, Crew-9 members Nick Hague and Alexander Grebenkin are also returning to Earth. The capsule is expected to reach Earth tomorrow at around 3:30 AM.

The hatch closure refers to the process of sealing the connection between the Dragon capsule and the ISS. Only after successfully undocking can the spacecraft begin its journey back to Earth. This process has now been successfully completed, and the astronauts are en route to Earth.

NASA has indicated that the capsule's landing date and time may vary depending on conditions. Upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, the capsule will deploy parachutes to slow its descent. It is expected to splash down either in the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.

Since June 2024, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been residing on the International Space Station. Their stay extended beyond nine months due to technical issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which had originally transported them to the ISS.