Nine-Month Wait Ends: Sunita Williams Returns to Earth – Watch the Video!
After a wait of nine months, Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams has safely returned to Earth. Sunita, along with astronauts Butch Wilmore and two others, departed from the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The capsule successfully landed in the waters off the coast of Florida at 3:27 AM today.
The Crew Dragon capsule, which initially traveled at nearly 27,000 kilometers per hour towards Earth, gradually reduced its speed. Upon reaching a velocity of 186 kilometers per hour, the four parachutes deployed, further slowing the descent before the capsule safely splashed down in the ocean. NASA personnel, already on standby with boats, retrieved the capsule and transported it to the shore.
The astronauts were then extracted from the capsule and taken to the Johnson Space Center in Houston for medical examinations. They will remain under expert supervision until they fully readjust to Earth's gravity. NASA broadcasted the entire operation live, from the moment the Crew Dragon undocked from the ISS to the astronauts' return to Earth.
