Sunita Williams return Highlights: NASA prepares for SpaceX Dragon hatch closure today, splashdown on THIS date

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: NASA estimates that Sunita Williams and other astronauts are likely to reach Earth around  5:57pm ET, Tuesday.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Starliner, the spacecraft carrying Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, suffered thruster problems, due to which their return was delayed.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Health experts have been worried that it won't be easy for Sunita Williams and other astronauts to adapt to earth's ways after their return. Here's what could happen

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Sunita Williams, and Butch Wilmore have been in space since June. They would be returning with Hague and Gorbunov, who went to the ISS in September.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Although NASA has been targeting an ‘early’ return for Williams, the Dragon's undocking depends on spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states and other factors.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Sunita Williams has been in charge of the ISS for nearly 9 months. Now Mc Clain, the Crew 10 commander, and his team would take control of the station.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: At a press conference, post the Crew 10's launch, NASA mission leaders, announced that the first principle in space is for astronauts to come home. There's always been a way for astronauts to come back home, the space agency asserted.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: " “We have a lot of exciting work ahead of us that we are looking forward to. Again, thank you very much to everybody who helped us to get here,” said Takuya Onishi of Crew 10.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore get paid the same as GS-15 federal government employees. Hence their annual salary ranges from $125,133 to $162,672 ( ₹1.08 crore to ₹1.41 crore)

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Astronaut Don Petit shared the moments before Crew 10 finally docked to the ISS. Here's the video

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Sunita Williams' 10-day space expedition turned into a 9-month one, because of repeated delays and technical faults. Will she then get overtime salary? Read here.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: NASA mission leaders are targeting for Sunita Williams and Crew 9 to return early, based on favourable conditions forecasted for Tuesday, March 18 ET.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: The Crew 9, of which Sunita Williams is a part, would now handover ISS's charge to Crew 10, which includes 4 astronauts.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Dragon's undocking from ISS depends on various factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states; which can impact the astronauts return time.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Experts said it won't be easy for Crew 9 members to adapt to the earth's ways. Here's why

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: NASA+ would live stream the return of the astronauts from 4:45 pm ET Tuesday, which is 2:15 am IST, Wednesday.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: The Dragon docked at the ISS on Saturday. Here's a glimpse of the process 

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Sunita Williams would miss ‘everything about space,’ she had said earlier, during a press conference from the ISS.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Sunita Williams and Crew 9 members, are now expected to touch down on March 18. NASA had earlier stated that Williams would depart from ISS no earlier than March 19, after 9 months at the station.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Sunita Williams and other Crew 9 astronauts are likely to return to Earth at 5:55pm ET, Tuesday, which is 3 am IST, Wednesday.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: The undocking from the ISS, for the astronauts' return would begin at 1:05 am ET, Tuesday, said NASA

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: NASA will provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the ISS at 10:45 p.m. EDT Monday, which is around 8:30-9am IST Tuesday.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Aleksandr Gorbunov is a Russian cosmonaut and aerospace engineer currently at the ISS who is preparing to return to Earth. The 34-year-old is a native of Zheleznogorsk town of Russia.  He obtained graduate degree in engineering from the Moscow Aviation Institute.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:03 PM ET on March 14.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: US space agency said, “NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, are completing a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory and will return time-sensitive research to Earth.”

NASA will provide live coverage of the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 pm EDT on Monday. NASA and SpaceX met on Sunday to assess weather and splashdown conditions off Florida's coast for the return of the agency's Crew-9 mission from the International Space Station.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates:  Crew 10 Dragon spacecraft will be undocked at 10:30 AM IST, NASA said

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: US space agency said, “NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, are completing a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory and will return time-sensitive research to Earth.”

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: NASA Astronaut Don Petit shared Crew 10 Dragon spacecraft's journey view from space.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: NASA on Sunday issued a statement re-scheduling SpaceX Crew-9 mission's return. Initially, it was scheduled for Wednesday. The anticipated ocean splashdown off the Florida coast will now take place around 5:57 pm Tuesday, Florida time, (3:27 am IST, March 19).

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: NASA has released the schedule for Crew-9 return. As per the US space agency's statement SpaceX Dragon hatch closure preparations will commence on Tuesday, March 18, at 8:15 AM IST.

• Tuesday, March 18

8:15 AM IST – Hatch closing process will be live streamed by NASA

10:15 AM IST – Undocking preparations kick-off

10:30 AM IST – Undocking

• Notably, splashdown of the spacecraft is scheduled for approximately 3:37 AM IST, Wednesday, March 19 (5:57 PM EDT, March 18)

2:41 AM – Deorbit burn (time is approximate)

3:37 AM – Splashdown (time is approximate)

Sunita Williams return LIVE: Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore might not be paid any special overtime salary for their extended stay in space, according to NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, quoted by Washingtonian, a monthly magazine.

"Astronauts are paid like any federal employee on a business trip. They get their regular salary, no overtime, and NASA takes care of transportation, lodging, and food,” Coleman said in the interview. Read more

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: NASA to provide live coverage of Crew-9’s return to Earth, beginning with Space X. 

Indian timings:

Dragon hatch closure preparations at 8:15 am Tuesday, March 18.

Splashdown is slated for approximately 3:27 am Wednesday, March 19.

Sunita Williams return LIVE: A pair of US astronauts stuck for more than nine months on the International Space Station will be returned to Earth on Tuesday evening, NASA said.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are to be transported home with another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon craft, which arrived at the ISS early Sunday.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: NASA in its latest press release informed that mission managers are targeting an earlier Crew-9 return citing favourable conditions.

“Mission managers are targeting an earlier Crew-9 return opportunity based on favorable conditions forecasted for the evening of Tuesday, March 18,” NASA said.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: NASA in a press release said, “NASA will provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 p.m. EDT Monday, March 17.”

Space enthusiasts can watch SpaceX Dragon hatch closure at the official website https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: The International Space Station in a post on X stated, “Splashdown is slated for approximately 5:57pm Tuesday, March 18.”

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: The International Space Station in a post on X wrote, "@NASA will provide live coverage of Crew-9’s return to Earth from the @Space_Station, beginning with @SpaceX Dragon hatch closure preparations at 10:45pm ET Monday, March 17."

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: SpaceX's Crew-10 mission arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, March 17. morning. Ending a 28-hour orbital chase, Crew-10's Dragon capsule, named Endurance, successfully docked with its Harmony module at 12:04 AM EDT (0404 GMT).

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: Elon Musk, the Space X founder and Tesla chief, posted an old video on March 17, showing stranded NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore expressing gratitude to US President Donald Trump and his advisor Elon Musk.

Despite the delays, both astronauts maintained a positive outlook on their extended stay.

“Butch and I knew this was a test flight, and we knew that we would probably find some things that did not work as expected. And we found some stuff,” Williams told CBS News.

Wilmore and Williams, both former military officers, likened the extension to an extended deployment.

“We have both been in the military, both Navy guys. Our deployments have been extended. You do what’s right for the team, and what was right for the team is to stay up here and be expedition crew members for the ISS,” Williams added.

Astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Butch Wilmore, part of Crew 9, have been on the ISS since June 2024. Originally, their mission was planned for eight days, but technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft extended their stay significantly.

The Starliner, launched on June 5, 2024, for its first piloted test flight, successfully docked at the ISS. However, multiple helium propulsion system leaks and thrust issues led NASA and Boeing to conduct further tests, delaying their return.

SpaceX launched Crew Dragon 10 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, marking the arrival of a new team to the International Space Station (ISS).

The mission provides relief for Crew-9 members, who are now preparing for their return to Earth as early as Wednesday.

Crew-9, comprising Hague, Sunita "Suni" Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Aleksandr Gorbunov, is set to undock from the station and return to Earth as early as Wednesday.

Williams and Wilmore have been stranded on the ISS since June 2024 due to numerous problems with their Boeing Starliner, which derailed their original plan to return just eight days after their arrival.

"This is a huge mission for us on Crew 10," said Steve Stich, manager of the commercial crew program that oversees SpaceX Crew Dragons and Boeing's Starliner. "They're all big, but this started all the way back to Crew 9 when we launched that mission with two empty seats, and we had those seats reserved for Butch and Suni."

The Starliner astronauts have "just done a phenomenal job," Stich said, "and so we're excited to bring them back." (CBS News)

A new SpaceX crew docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday morning.

Crew-9 commander Nick Hague greeted the arrivals wearing a grey alien mask, adding a playful touch to the occasion.

Hague was seen zooming around the ISS in his mask and hoodie, occasionally gesturing off-camera, entertaining viewers.

The new crew included Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi (Japan), and Kirill Peskov (Russia).

Sunita Williams' spaceflight record – With her current mission, Williams will accumulate around 570 days in space, making her the second most experienced US astronaut.

Ranking among US astronauts – She will surpass other NASA astronauts in total time spent in space, trailing only Peggy Whitson, who holds the US record with 675 days over four missions.

Previous space missions – Williams has already completed two previous stays aboard the International Space Station (ISS), adding to her extensive experience in orbit.

"Thank you to SpaceX for the awesome ride up here," said co-pilot Nichole Ayers, an Air Force major and F-22 Raptor pilot. "As a (space) rookie, that was one of the coolest things I've ever done. I can't wait to get to work up here." (CBS News)

Crew 10 commander Anne McClain, an Army colonel and former combat helicopter pilot, told flight controllers she and her fellow fliers had a "great trip" from the launch pad to the space station, adding "I cannot tell you the immense joy of our crew when we looked out the window and we saw the space station for the first time."

"Let me tell you, that is such an amazing journey, you can hardly even put it into words," she said. "The ride up on the Falcon 9, orbiting the Earth for the last couple of days, it's been absolutely incredible ... Thank you very, very much." (CBS News)

Starliner crew to return – Astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams are set to return to Earth after nearly 300 days in space, far exceeding their original 8-day mission plan.

Starliner propulsion issues – Due to propulsion system problems, NASA ruled out bringing them back on the Starliner spacecraft, instead opting for a return on a Crew Dragon capsule.

Crew rotation – Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov replace Crew 9 members Nick Hague, Alexander Gorbunov, Wilmore, and Williams.

Extended stay – Wilmore and Williams joined Crew 9 after their mission was extended and will now return alongside them with a splashdown near Florida next week.

Flight duration comparison – Their 290-day stay is long but falls short of the US single-flight record of 371 days, set by Frank Rubio in 2022-23.

Sunita Williams return LIVE Updates: NASA leaders, while speaking after the launch of Crew 10, said the first principle for them is to always figure out a way for astronauts to come home.