NASA confirmed that two American astronauts stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months will finally return to Earth on Tuesday, March 18, in the evening (GMT).

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will travel back with another U.S. astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut. They will return aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, which successfully docked at the ISS early Sunday.

Crew 10 Dragon vehicle arriving! pic.twitter.com/3EZZyZW18b

— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) March 16, 2025

Reason for the Extended Stay

Initially, Wilmore and Williams arrived at the ISS in June last year on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. However, due to propulsion malfunctions, the spacecraft became unsafe for their return. As a result, they were forced to stay much longer than planned.

Scheduled Return and Splashdown Details

Consequently, NASA announced on Sunday evening that the astronauts' splashdown will happen earlier than planned. The spacecraft will land in the ocean off Florida’s coast at 5:57 PM local time (Florida) on Tuesday, which is 3:27 AM IST on March 19. Moreover, NASA explained, "The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week."

Live Coverage of the Return

To keep the public informed, NASA will broadcast live coverage of the return. The broadcast starts with the spacecraft hatch closure at 10:45 PM EDT on Monday, March 17 (8:30 AM IST on March 18).

.@NASA will provide live coverage of Crew-9’s return to Earth from the @Space_Station, beginning with @SpaceX Dragon hatch closure preparations at 10:45pm ET Monday, March 17.

Splashdown is slated for approximately 5:57pm Tuesday, March 18: https://t.co/yABLg20tKX pic.twitter.com/alujSplsHm

— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) March 16, 2025

In addition, Wilmore and Williams will return with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard the Dragon capsule. Their return will finally conclude a mission that was originally supposed to be short but instead lasted nine months.

Comparison with Previous Space Records

Although their stay exceeded the usual six-month ISS mission, it did not break the record set by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who spent 371 days in space in 2023. Nevertheless, the longest space mission still belongs to Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 days aboard the Mir space station.

Challenges Faced Due to the Extended Mission

Understandably, the long mission gained public attention and concern. Since Wilmore and Williams had not packed for such a lengthy stay, NASA had to send them extra clothing and personal care supplies to help them manage. Now, with their return set, NASA is making final preparations to ensure their safe arrival after this unexpectedly extended mission on the ISS.