Sunita Williams Homecoming: Exact Date, Time, Splashdown Details Confirmed By NASA!

The much-awaited update that people across the world are waiting for is finally here. NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are returning to the Earth after a nine-month-long stay at the International Space Station (ISS). Their homecoming mission was filled with a lot of drama as Elon Musk's SpaceX mission faced a delay. However, the SpaceX Crew-10 mission braved all the obstacles and reached the ISS, where Sunita and Butch will make their return after waving goodbye to their replacements.

In a recent statement, NASA revealed that it moved forward the astronauts' anticipated ocean splashdown off the Florida coast to approximately 05:57 PM Tuesday EDT (03:27 AM IST, Wednesday). It was initially slated for no sooner than Wednesday (19th March, 2025).

The updated return conditions will allow the space station crew members to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week.

Sunita and Butch's prolonged stay at the ISS for 9 months was longer than the typical astronaut rotation of six months, according to NASA. However, it's interesting to note that their stay is still shorter than the US space record of 371 days set by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio aboard the ISS in 2023. There was also another world record held by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 continuous days aboard the Mir space station.

This entire situation has caught significant attention from people across the globe as they await the astronauts' return to Earth with bated breath. Both the astronauts are set to experience discomfort during the first few weeks of their return, and they will gradually adjust to their life. Donald Trump and Elon Musk have made it clear that the astronauts will be taken care of for their strenuous efforts at the ISS.