Smiles And Waving: How Sunita Williams Stepped Out Of Spacecraft After Return To Earth | Video

Last Updated:March 19, 2025, 05:34 IST

Sunita Williams arrived back to Earth on Tuesday (local time) after a nine-month stay in space. She set her foot back on the planet with a big smile on her face and a cheerful waving of hand.

Sunita Williams returns to Earth (Photo: X/NASA)

Veteran astronaut Sunita Williams set her foot back on Earth moments after she, aboard SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft, splashed down off the Florida coast on Wednesday.

The Dragon touched down the water at 3.27 am IST, bringing cheers to the officials monitoring the rescue operation which was necessitated by the unexpected nine-month stay of Williams and her NASA colleague Butch Wilmore due to technical issues in the Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule.

As the capsule arrived on Earth, it was lifted to a recovery vessel where the astronauts were helped their way out.

Crew9 commander Nick Hague was the first to come out of the Dragon with the assistance of the ground crew, followed by Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Sunita Williams then emerged out of the Dragon, waving her hands and smiling, being helped out by the officials, feeling Earth’s gravity – in contrast to the microgravity of space.

Wilmore was the last to come out of the capsule.

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