Welcome return to Sunita; SpaceX Dragon to approach Florida coast at 3:27 am IST

WASHINGTON: Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, two astronauts who had been stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months, have started their journey back to Earth. NASA announced that they left the ISS on Tuesday morning at 10:35 am IST. Their trip home, which will take about 17 hours, is being carried out aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. This capsule, operated by Elon Musk's company, is expected to land in the ocean near Florida at 3:27 am IST on Wednesday.

The two astronauts originally travelled to the ISS last June for a short trip. Their mission was to test the Boeing Starliner, which was on its first crewed flight. However, due to propulsion problems, the spacecraft was deemed unsafe for their return and was sent back empty.

Experts have pointed out that spending extended periods in space has noticeable effects on the human body and mind. The absence of gravity can weaken muscles and bones and even affect vision and brain function. Unlike Russia's Soyuz spacecraft, which can return astronauts in just three and a half hours, SpaceX's Dragon capsule takes longer—about 17 hours—because of its design to ensure a safe and precise landing.

Stats

On the station – 286 days

4,576 orbits of the Earth

Travelled 195,289,857 kilometres

With the completion of the mission, Sunita's total number of days in space (over 3 missions) has reached 608. Sunita is the second US astronaut to spend the most amount of time in space. Peggy Whitson (675 days) is first.