NASA’s Crew-9 homecoming: Watch the Splashdown Live as astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore come back Today World News

SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov docks with International Space Station to bring back stranded astronauts, on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

NASA will provide a live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 p.m. EDT Monday, March 17. You can check the schedule on https://www.nasa.gov/live

NASA and SpaceX launched a crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) to bring home NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded in space since last June.

On March 16, 2025, a SpaceX crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station delivering the replacements for NASA’s two stuck astronauts. The four newcomers — Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov will spend the next few days learning the station’s ins and outs from Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

Also read: What does spaceflight do to the human body? | Explained 

The stranded duo have been on the ISS since June after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they were testing on its maiden crewed voyage suffered propulsion issues and was deemed unfit to fly them back to Earth.

Here is NASA’s live operations coverage is as follows

Monday, March 17

• 10:45 p.m. – Hatch closing coverage begins on NASA+

Tuesday, March 18

• 12:45 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+

• 1:05 a.m. – Undocking

• 4:45 p.m. – Return coverage begins on NASA+

• 5:11 p.m. – Deorbit burn (time is approximate)

• 5:57 p.m. – Splashdown (time is approximate)

Following the conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA will switch to audio only. Pending weather conditions at the splashdown sites, continuous coverage will resume on March 18 on NASA+ prior to the start of deorbit burn.

NASA said in a statement on Sunday evening that it had moved forward the astronauts’ anticipated ocean splashdown off the Florida coast to approximately 5.57 p.m. Tuesday (2157 GMT). It was initially slated for no sooner than Wednesday.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will also return on the Dragon capsule, with the journey to be broadcast live from Monday evening when hatch closure preparations begin.

Mission managers will continue monitoring weather conditions in the area, as Dragon’s undocking depends on various factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will confirm the specific splashdown location closer to the Crew-9 return.

Third-Party Services to watch the NASA programming

• Roku

• Hulu

• DirectTV

• DISH Network

• Google Fiber

• Amazon Fire TV

• Apple TV