Stranded astronauts to finally return to Earth after nine-month ordeal
They were supposed to be gone for eight days, but they ended up being stuck in space for nine months. This is after the two had originally embarked on a mission in June last year using the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
A countdown on NASA’s website has begun as NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, world-renowned as the “Stranded Astronaunts” are set to return to Earth after spending nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
They were supposed to be gone for eight days, but they ended up being stuck in space for nine months. This is after the two had originally embarked on a mission in June last year using the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
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They however experienced technical issues that prompted them to remain in orbit as they waited for communication from headquarters.
This prompted NASA to send back the capsule back to Earth without the crew.
In the meantime, Wilmore and Wiliams were integrated into Crew-9, the existing ISS team.
The team included NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov
NASA then organised an alternative spacecraft to bring the four astronauts back home.
The spacecraft is currently in the final stages of its 17-hour journey back from the International Space Station.
NASA is actively counting down the final moments on its website as it prepares for splashdown, which is expected to occur at 5:57 p.m. EDT (Eastern Daylight Time).
This will be 12:57 a.m. Kenyan Time (EAT) on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.
Kenya is seven hours ahead of EDT, so the splashdown will happen just after midnight in Kenya, marking the end of the astronauts’ extended stay in space.
The event will be broadcast live on NASA+ for the world to witness the safe return of the crew after an unexpected, extended mission.
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