Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, along with her colleague Butch Wilmore, safely returned to Earth on Wednesday after an unexpected 286-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Initially planned as a short 8-day flight, their mission was extended to 9 months due to technical issues with their spacecraft. Despite the challenges, Williams and Wilmore demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability. The SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying them touched down off the Florida coast at 3.30 am on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump had promised to "rescue" NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore "stranded" in space and has kept his promise, said the White House, as the two astronauts returned to Earth. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the White House shared the video of the moment SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Florida and described it as "NASA astronauts splashdown to Earth after nine months stuck in space."
In the same post, the White House boasted that President Trump has fulfilled his promise. "Promise made, promise kept: President Trump pledged to rescue the astronauts stranded in space for nine months. Today, they safely splashed down in the Gulf of America, thanks to Elon Musk, SpaceX, and NASA!"
