Sunita Williams & Butch Wilmore Returned After 286 Days Stay in Space

Blog, Space Insights / By TechGiraffe / March 19, 2025

Two valiant astronauts, NASA’s Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have returned home after 286 days in orbit. This marks the end of a historic space mission that pushed the boundaries of human endurance and showcased the amazing potential of modern space exploration. You can also refer to our previous blog post on why Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore had to stay in space longer than initially planned by clicking the link “Why NASA’s Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore Remains in Orbit Longer Than Expected? Explained“.

On Tuesday, the two Starliner astronauts accompanied by NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Aleksandr Grebyonkin returned to planet earth onboard an Space X Crew Dragon capsule, marking an end to the repeatedly extended mission. The Space X Dragon Freedom capsule successfully splashed down off the Florida coast near Tallahassee, in the Gulf of America on March 18, 2025 at 5.57 ET (IST 3:27 am on March 19, 2025).

On September 28, 2024, Hague and Gorbunov launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 1:17 p.m. aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. They docked with the space station’s Harmony module the following day. As part of the Boeing Crew Flight Test, Williams and Wilmore took off from Space Launch Complex 41 on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which was launched by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. They arrived at the space station on June 6. Wilmore and Williams were part of the space station’s Expedition 71/72, and they were set to return on Crew-9. NASA announced the uncrewed return of Starliner to Earth in August. At 1:05 a.m. on Tuesday, the four-person crew undocked to begin their journey home.

Astronaut’s Mission Stats

During their mission, Williams and Wilmore spent 286 days in space, completed 4,576 orbits around the Earth, and traveled a total of 121,347,491 miles. In contrast, Hague and Gorbunov spent 171 days in space, made 2,736 orbits, and covered a distance of 72,553,920 miles. Notably, Gorbunov’s first space trip was the Crew-9 mission. Over her three flights, Williams has accumulated a total of 608 days in space, while Wilmore has spent 464 days during his three missions, and Hague has been in orbit for 374 days across his two missions.

The Mission Achievement

Crew-9 participated in numerous science, maintenance, and technological demonstrations during its mission. Along with Wilmore and Hague, Williams performed two spacewalks, removed a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss, collected samples for analysis from the station’s exterior, covered damaged light filter areas on an X-ray telescope with patches, and more. With 62 hours and 6 minutes outside the station, Williams currently holds the record for the longest spacewalk by a female astronaut and ranks fourth overall.

What’s Now?

Instead of only spending a week in space, astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore spent nine months there due to unplanned extensions. As per health experts, the effects of long-term exposure to microgravity on their physical & mental health cannot be overlooked. Due to prolonged exposure to radiation, isolation and microgravity, astronauts experience significant physiological changes while in space. These changes can have serious consequences for their bones, muscles, and even mental health. You can read our blog post “Why NASA’s Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore Remains in Orbit Longer than Expected?” for the health concern an astronauts can face over their stay in space.

Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will now go through several medical tests to determine their current health. NASA will keep a close eye on them for indications of cardiovascular abnormalities, muscle atrophy, bone loss, and radiation-induced effects. The future of space travel will ultimately be shaped by these studies, which will offer important insights into how the human body adjusts and recovers from prolonged space missions.

Call to Action

What are your thoughts on Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s extended stay of 286 days in orbit? We invite you to share your opinions by writing in the comment box or emailing us at www.techgiraffe@yahoo.com. We extend a warm welcome back to Earth for Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. I’ll conclude here with a promise to see you in the next blog!

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