NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams departed the International Space Station (ISS) early Tuesday morning (March 18, 2025) aboard a SpaceX capsule, marking the start of their long-awaited return to Earth. Their journey comes nine months after their planned week-long test mission was disrupted due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
The SpaceX capsule undocked before dawn and is set to splash down off the Florida coast by early evening, weather permitting. Wilmore and Williams will return alongside another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon, which arrived at the ISS on Sunday.
The duo has been stationed at the ISS since June after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft, on its maiden crewed voyage, experienced propulsion problems and was deemed unsafe for the return trip.
NASA confirmed on Sunday evening that the astronauts’ anticipated ocean splashdown off the Florida coast has been scheduled for 3:27 AM IST (2157 GMT) on Wednesday.
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