After spending nine months at the International Space Station (ISS) due to unexpected delays, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth. Their spacecraft, SpaceX’s Dragon Freedom Capsule successfully landed on Earth on the Florida coast near Tallahassee, at 5:57 pm ET on Tuesday (3:27 am IST, Wednesday). PM Narendra Modi welcoming back Sunita Williams on Earth posted on X that Sunita Williams and the Crew9 astronauts have once again shown us what perseverance truly means. IIT Bombay professor Varun Bhalerao said this tells us something about the complexities of space travel.
Taxing to X PM Modi posted, “Welcome back, #Crew9! The Earth missed you. Theirs has been a test of grit, courage, and the boundless human spirit. Sunita Williams and the #Crew9 astronauts have once again shown us what perseverance truly means. Their unwavering determination in the face of the vast unknown will forever inspire millions. Space exploration is about pushing the limits of human potential, daring to dream, and having the courage to turn those dreams into reality. Sunita Williams, a trailblazer and an icon, has exemplified this spirit throughout her career. We are incredibly proud of all those who worked tirelessly to ensure their safe return. They have demonstrated what happens when precision meets passion and technology meets tenacity.”
Also Read: Sunita Williams Returns to Earth: What Did NASA Astronaut Do in Space for Nine Months?
IIT Bombay professor Varun Bhalerao said that this incident explains that space travel is very complex. He said, “It is a very nice day today that we have Sunita Williams and three other astronauts successfully returning back to Earth. Two of them were actually stuck at the International Space Station for an unexpectedly long time. This is something that actually tells us about the complexities of space travel. It is the harshest environments known to mankind.”
Astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Grebyonkin reached the ISS in December to rescue Butch and Sunita. Their journey back to earth was 17 hours long. The Astronauts were seen smiling and waving at the cameras while they were on a stretcher being taken for routine medical checks.