NEW DELHI: The residents of Jhulasan, the hometown of Sunita Williams, joyfully commemorated her safe return to Earth on Wednesday with traditional aarti and prayers following her nearly nine-month-long space mission.
The successful splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft marked the return of Williams and her Crew-9 teammates Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, igniting celebrations in their community. In Ahmedabad, Williams’ cousin, Dinesh Rawal, held a ‘Yagna’ on Tuesday to honor her safe homecoming.
SpaceX confirmed the successful landing, while NASA astronaut Nick Hague shared the crew’s excitement upon their return. After landing, Hague communicated with mission control, expressing the crew’s joy despite some audio difficulties.
SpaceX announced, “Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – welcome back to Earth, Nick, Suni, Butch, and Aleks!” NASA commentator Sandra Jones remarked on the stunning views of a serene, glassy ocean.
Rescue vessels from SpaceX are en route to retrieve the spacecraft. The capsule will be lifted from the water and secured in the “Dragon’s nest.” Prior to landing, parachutes were deployed to slow the Crew Dragon to speeds below 20 miles per hour.
Staff at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will assist the astronauts in readjusting to Earth’s gravity. Initial medical evaluations will take place aboard the rescue vessel, followed by continuous monitoring. The Crew-9 team will then proceed to NASA’s Houston facilities for further medical assessments.
The crew’s return followed their departure from the International Space Station at 1:05 am ET aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The extended mission of Williams and Wilmore garnered considerable attention, as they consistently refuted claims of being “abandoned,” “stuck,” or “stranded,”.
Wilmore stated in February, “That has been the narrative from day one: stranded, abandoned, stuck — and I understand why people think that. But let’s change the narrative to: prepared and committed, regardless of what you’ve been hearing.”
