Sunita Williams finally returned to Earth on Wednesday after spending much longer than planned on the International Space Station. Her mission, originally set for just a few days, turned into a nine-month stay. This delay became a major topic in U.S. politics, with President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk blaming the previous administration for not handling the situation well. NASA, with help from Elon Musk, created a backup plan to bring astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams back from the International Space Station. They were stranded there for nine months because their Boeing Starliner spacecraft had technical issues and could not be used for their return to Earth. Elon Musk and former U.S. President Donald Trump blamed the previous Biden administration for the long delay, claiming—without proof—that politics played a role in keeping them on the ISS.
NASA and SpaceX officials did not confirm Musk’s claims during a recent press conference. Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, explained that they considered different options before deciding the best way to bring the astronauts home with SpaceX’s help.
The White House repeated Trump’s claim that he sped up their return, posting “PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT” on X.
With Tuesday’s splashdown bringing the long journey to an end, here are 10 key points about Sunita Williams’ return to Earth.
- Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, both experienced NASA astronauts and former Navy test pilots, went to space in June last year on Starliner’s first crewed mission. It was supposed to last just eight days. However, problems with the spacecraft’s propulsion system delayed their return.
- In August, NASA decided to send the Starliner spacecraft back to Earth without them, while they waited for a SpaceX Crew Dragon to bring them home. The Dragon arrived at the ISS with two empty seats, and Starliner returned without a crew in September.
- While waiting, Williams and Wilmore adjusted their mission, conducting research and maintaining the space station. Williams also performed two spacewalks, each lasting six hours, including one with Wilmore.
- With this mission, Williams has now spent a total of 608 days in space, making her the second longest-serving US astronaut after Peggy Whitson, who has 675 days. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko holds the world record with 878 days.
- The mission caught the attention of former US President Donald Trump, who, after taking office in January, pushed for their quicker return. He claimed that former President Joe Biden had “abandoned” them for political reasons. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk supported Trump’s claims.
- On Friday, the SpaceX Crew Dragon arrived at the ISS with a replacement crew, allowing Williams and Wilmore to return. After a short handover, the Dragon undocked early Tuesday for a 17-hour journey back to Earth.
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to Williams, who has Indian roots, inviting her to visit India after her return.
- The four astronauts, part of NASA’s Crew-9 mission, re-entered Earth’s atmosphere around 5:45 p.m. ET. Their spacecraft used the atmosphere and parachutes to slow down from 17,000 mph to just 17 mph before safely landing in the ocean, about 50 miles off Florida’s Gulf Coast.
- The capsule was lifted onto a boat, and the astronauts were taken to a NASA plane. They will stay at the Johnson Space Center in Houston for health check-ups before returning home to their families. In India, celebrations broke out in Sunita Williams’ native village after her safe landing.
- The White House repeated Trump’s claim that he helped speed up the astronauts’ return, saying it was a “promise made, promise kept.”
The crew will first receive medical check-ups on the rescue ship, with ongoing monitoring in the following days and weeks. Later today, the Crew-9 team will be taken to NASA’s facility in Houston for further medical assessments.
