Breathtaking Video Captures Exact Moment Drogue Parachutes Are Deployed During Splashdown

After an extended and eventful mission, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally making their way back to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule. Their prolonged journey, which began with Boeing’s troubled Starliner test flight more than nine months ago, is expected to conclude with a splashdown off Florida’s coast at 3:27 AM on Wednesday, weather permitting. The duo, accompanied by two fellow astronauts, bid farewell to the International Space Station (ISS), where they had been living since last spring, before undocking in the early hours. Originally, Williams and Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner on June 5 for what was intended to be a short test mission. However, a series of technical issues forced NASA to return the Starliner to Earth without them, extending their stay at the ISS and delaying their return.