Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:17am on 19 Mar 2025,Wednesday Science
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore safely returned to Earth after a prolonged 286-day stay at the ISS. Their SpaceX Dragon Freedom capsule splashed down near Florida at 5:57 PM ET Tuesday (3:27 AM IST Wednesday), marking the end of a mission initially planned for just eight days. Delays arose due to propulsion issues with Boeing’s Starliner, leaving the astronauts stranded. Williams, now with 608 cumulative days in space, becomes the second most-experienced US astronaut. NASA and SpaceX coordinated their rescue, and the crew will undergo a 45-day rehabilitation program after completing 4,576 orbits and traveling 121 million miles.
