Two NASA astronauts unexpectedly left aboard the International Space Station for nine months will return to Earth today, with their spacecraft undocking from the station just after 4 pm AEDT.
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have been at the International Space Station (ISS) since June after a fault with their original spacecraft. A replacement crew arrived at the station on Sunday, allowing Williams and Wilmore to leave this week alongside the ISS team known as Crew-9.
“On behalf of Crew-9, I’d like to say it was a privilege to call the station home, to live and work and to be a part of a mission and a team that spans the globe, working together in cooperation for the benefit of humanity,” said Crew-9 NASA astronaut Nick Hague from the spacecraft after it left the ISS. “Crew-9 going home.”
Crew-9, comprising Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, reached the station in September. Their spacecraft included two additional seats for Williams and Wilmore’s return.
The crew will bring “time-sensitive research” back to Earth, NASA said.
Their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will splash down off the coast of Florida on Tuesday afternoon, local time, before being picked up by a SpaceX vessel. The transit period will take around 17 hours after the craft leaves the ISS, according to NASA.
The Dragon’s hatch closed at 2:05 pm AEDT. The capsule left the ISS' “approach ellipsoid” exclusion zone at around 4:30 pm AEDT, following its planned course back to Earth.
While Williams and Wilmore were originally set to leave the ISS on Wednesday, their departure was rescheduled due to today’s preferable weather conditions.
“The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week,” said NASA.
Williams and Wilmore’s Boeing Starliner capsule saw a number of issues with its thruster propulsion system, causing it to be returned to Earth without its crew in September. Williams and Wilmore were initially expected to stay at the ISS for 10 days.
The ISS’ replacement crew, known as Crew-10, will remain at the station for the next six months.
NASA will livestream the Dragon spacecraft’s return to Earth on its website.
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