Sunita Williams return date confirmed by Nasa: Check touchdown time, location, where & how you can watch the latest update

NASA and SpaceX are preparing for the highly anticipated homecoming of Crew-9 from the International Space Station (ISS), featuring NASA astronauts Sunita 'Sunni' Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Their spacecraft, Dragon, is set to return to Earth with valuable scientific research on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, and NASA will provide live coverage of the event.





Though the final splashdown location will be confirmed closer to the event, it is expected to be off the coast of Florida, near the Kennedy Space Center.

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The live broadcast will kick off on Monday, March 17 at 10:45 pm EDT (8:15 am IST) with the spacecraft’s hatch closure preparations, and coverage will continue through the entire return process on Tuesday, March 18.

Sunita Williams return: Where & how to watch

Viewers can tune in to watch critical moments such as Dragon's undocking, deorbit burn, splashdown, and the return-to-Earth media conference later in the day.

NASA+ will be streaming the event, and it will be available through their official website, mobile app, and various social media platforms.

The live feed will start with the undocking at 12:45 am EDT (10:15 am IST) on March 18 and continue with updates as the crew heads back to Earth, culminating in touchdown at approximately 5:57 p.m. EDT (3:27 am, Monday IST).

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Viewers can also follow the mission updates and watch the events unfold live on NASA’s live page or the space agency’s Commercial Crew Blog. The latter will also provide detailed information of the mission.

Sunita Williams return: Date

Mission managers have confirmed that favourable weather conditions are expected for Crew-9's return on March 18.

NASA and SpaceX have made adjustments to the timeline to allow the astronauts time for handover duties at the ISS while still taking advantage of the good weather before conditions worsen later in the week.

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The team will be bringing back crucial research from their long-duration mission aboard the ISS, and this live broadcast offers a unique opportunity to witness this historic event.

Sunita Williams return: Time

Key moments include:

Monday, March 17:

• 10:45 p.m. EDT (8:15 am IST): Coverage begins with hatch closure preparations on NASA+.

Tuesday, March 18:

• 12:45 am EDT (10:15 am IST): Live coverage of undocking starts on NASA+.
• 1:05 am EDT (10:35 am IST): The Crew-9 spacecraft will undock from the ISS.
  • After undocking, NASA will switch to audio-only coverage.
• 4:45 pm EDT (2:15 am, Monday IST): Coverage picks up again on NASA+ in anticipation of the return.
• 5:11 pm EDT (2:41 am, Monday IST):Approximate time for deorbit burn.
• 5:57 pm EDT (3:27 am, Monday IST): The Crew-9 spacecraft is expected to splash down in the ocean.