NASA’s astronauts, who have been stranded in space for nine months, have finally been rescued by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and are now on their way home. The remarkable mission was broadcast live by NASA, with the undocking taking place just two hours before their departure.
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore were undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) at 1:05 a.m. ET (5:05 a.m. GMT) aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, they are now on a 17-hour journey back to Earth, set to land off the coast of Florida at 5:57 p.m. ET (9:57 p.m. GMT).
“Crew Nine is going home,” said Hague, the commander of the Crew Dragon, moments after the spacecraft began its descent. “On behalf of Crew Nine, it was a privilege to call space home… to live and work… in cooperation for the benefit of humanity. To our colleagues and dear friends who remain on the station, we know the station is in great hands. We’re excited to see what you accomplish, and we’ll be waiting for you.”
