PTC News Desk: 286 days in space, 4577 orbits around the planet and flying over a distance spanning 195.2 million kilometres, Indian origin astronaut Sunita William's space marathon finally came to an end as she safely returned home.
The eight day mission turned into a grueling nine month long stay with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore after the Starliner spacecraft she piloted to space developed multiple technical faults.
NASA Crew-9 astronauts Sunita Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov breathed earthly air for the first time in over nine months on Wednesday after the successful splashdown of SpaceX's Dragon capsule. As the capsule splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, several dolphins were seen swimming around it, welcoming the astronauts home. At least five dolphins were captured on video circling the capsule as it bobbed in the water.
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov have been in space since September 2024. However, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams had been away much longer--their journey began last June. Initially expected to last just a week, their mission was extended to more than nine months due to issues with their Boeing Starliner capsule, which delayed their return.
