Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have finally set off on the long and winding road home, after an unanticipated nine-month ‘staycation’ aboard the International Space Station (ISS). NASA announced that the Crew-9 mission undocked from the ISS at 10:35 AM (IST) today, putting up a video of Dragon spacecraft detaching from the station. The journey back is anticipated to take around 17 hours and has a splashdown probing in the vicinity of the Florida shoreline arranged for 3:27 AM (IST) on Wednesday.
Williams and Wilmore previously arrived at the ISS on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s Starliner on what was intended to be an eight-day trip. But propulsion problems meant the capsule had to come back down empty, leaving the two stranded instead. After months of unclear status, NASA reassigned them to SpaceX’s Crew-9. A relief Dragon spacecraft from Elon Musk’s SpaceX has successfully docked at the ISS on Sunday, bringing new crew to make way for the astronauts’ long-awaited return.
Along with Williams and Wilmore for the trip home are NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Before leaving, Hague posted a message of warmth to the ISS crew which remains: “We’ll be here to welcome you back. Crew-9 is going home.” 
The astronauts will receive medical checks on touchdown as long-term space missions come with health risks like muscle wasting and fluid redistribution. Williams’ and Wilmore’s almost 9-month mission is the 6th longest US spaceflight, showing their strength and what happens when it comes to long-duration space travel.
