NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, have commenced their return journey to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The return mission, designated as NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9, officially begins today, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, with the hatch closure planned for 8:45 am IST. At this moment, the astronauts will board the Dragon spacecraft, and the hatch connecting them to the International Space Station (ISS) will be sealed, marking the start of the undocking process.
At 10:35 am IST, the Dragon spacecraft will autonomously separate from the ISS, initiating its descent back to Earth. Over the following 17 hours, the spacecraft will navigate its return path while performing essential system checks to guarantee a safe landing.
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The deorbit burn and re-entry will kick off in the early morning of Wednesday, March 19, at 2:15 am IST, as the Dragon spacecraft positions itself for entry into the atmosphere. This stage is vital, as the spacecraft will face intense heat and pressure while moving at hypersonic speeds before it opens its parachutes for a safe descent. Ultimately, the mission will wrap up with a splashdown at 3:27 am IST, just off the coast of Florida, where recovery teams will be ready to bring the astronauts back to shore.
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