How SpaceX Dragon Brought Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore Home?

Washington DC: The Dragon Freedom, a historic SpaceX spacecraft has brought the NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore back to the Earth, after they were stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) for the past nine months. 

Sarah Walker, the Director of the Dragon Mission Management at SpaceX, in the press conference following the stranded astronauts' splashdown, explained in detail, how the Dragon brought them home.

Also Read: Smile & Wave: Watch The Exact Moment Sunita Williams Exits Dragon Capsule

How Did SpaceX Spacecraft Dragon Bring Stranded Astronauts Home?

All eyes have been on the spacecraft of Musk-owned SpaceX, which has brought back the Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) for the past nine months.

During the first press conference held by NASA and SpaceX, after the splashdown in the Gulf of America, the Director of the Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX, Sarah Walker explained how Dragon brought the stranded astronauts of NASA home. Appreciating the teams at NASA and SpaceX for their joint efforts to make this mission a success, Sarah Walker explained how they prioritised the safety of Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore and kept that at the forefront. 

Elaborating on the plan, Sarah Walker first thanked the teamwork at both agencies and how a change in the Dragon spacecraft helped accelerating the Crew-10 launch and the Crew-9 return. Highlighting the importance of the right weather conditions for splashdown, Sarah Walker revealed how as a team, they decided to undock a day before than the usual plan and how this required “quite a bit of creativity from the NASA team and the onboard crew to compress the handover even further than they already had”.

The Dragon Mission Management Director also said that this return was SpaceX's final Dragon recovery on the East Coast and that they will now be moving their recovery operations back to the West Coast. She was happy that the Dragon is “healthy” and the parachutes performed "as expected".

Also Read: What Next for Sunita Williams? 45-Day Rehabilitation, Workout, Comfortable Clothes for Astronauts After Nine-Month Space Stay

What Happens to the Dragon After Splashdown?

Now that the splashdown has been completed and the stranded astronauts have been brought back to the Earth, the SpaceX vessel will be transporting Dragon back to the refurbishment facility in Florida's Cape Canaveral. 

Sarah Walker said, “It's amazing to think that SpaceX has now safely flown 62 crew members from 14 countries to space, 52 of those to and from the International Space Station. Dragon has supported 46 missions to the station in all and 29 of those on refflown Dragons.”

All About SpaceX Spacecraft Dragon

In 2020, SpaceX restored the United States' capability to transport NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station aboard American spacecraft, marking the first time since 2011. Beyond its role in NASA missions, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft is also capable of carrying commercial astronauts to Earth orbit, the ISS, and beyond. The Dragon spacecraft can transport up to 7 passengers to and from Earth orbit, as well as on missions beyond. It is the only spacecraft in operation that can bring substantial cargo back to Earth and holds the distinction of being the first private spacecraft to carry humans to the space station. Owned by SpaceX, Elon Musk's space company, the Dragon has completed a total of 49 missions; it has a height of 26.7 feet and a diameter of 13 feet.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who originally scheduled for a seven-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS), had to extend their stay to nine months due to technical issues in the spacecraft, the Boeing Starliner. During their time in space, the astronauts spent 286 days orbiting Earth, completing 4,576 orbits, and covering a distance of 195 million kilometers by the time they returned. Upon their splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, SpaceX's Mission Control in California greeted them over the radio, saying, “On behalf of SpaceX, welcome home.”