Mon Mar 17 04:07:45 UTC 2025: **Delayed Astronauts to Return to Earth Tuesday**

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – Two US astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, will finally return to Earth on Tuesday evening after a nine-month-long unscheduled stay at the International Space Station (ISS). Their journey home, initially expected no sooner than Wednesday, has been expedited to a splashdown off the Florida coast at approximately 5:57 pm EDT (3:27 am IST, Wednesday).

The astronauts, along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will travel back aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule which arrived at the ISS on Sunday. Their extended stay was due to propulsion issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that was meant to return them to Earth after a short mission in June. The malfunction rendered the Starliner unfit for flight.

While their extended stay – significantly longer than the usual six-month ISS rotation – pales in comparison to the US and world records for continuous spaceflight, the unexpected circumstances and resulting need for resupply of personal items have garnered significant public attention. Live coverage of their return journey begins Monday evening.

Read More