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Celebrations erupt in Gujarat's Jhulasan village as NASA's Sunita Williams returns to Earth
The celebrations in Jhulasan village began after the successful splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft, which brought Sunita Williams back to Earth.
After an unexpected nine-month stay in space, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, a pair of NASA astronauts, finally returned to Earth on early Wednesday morning, concluding a mission that gripped global attention and became a political flashpoint. People in Gujarat's Jhulasan, a native village of Sunita Williams, celebrated her safe return by performing aarti and offering prayers.
The celebrations began after the successful splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft, which brought Sunita Williams back to Earth along with Crew-9 members Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Visuals posted by news agency ANI showed people celebrating and bursting firecrackers in Jhulasan in Mehsana district after the successful Splashdown of SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sunita Williams' cousin Dinesh Rawal organised a 'Yagna' in Ahmedabad to pray for her safe return.
SpaceX confirmed the splashdown, and NASA astronaut Nick Hague shared that the crew was "grinning ear to ear" after their safe return.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship streaked through the atmosphere before deploying parachutes for a gentle splashdown off the Florida coast at 5:57 pm (3.27am IST).
Ground teams erupted in cheers as the gumdrop-shaped spacecraft named Freedom, charred from withstanding scorching temperatures of 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit (2,000 degrees Celsius) during re-entry, bobbed steadily on the waves beneath a clear, sunny sky.
"What a ride -- I see a capsule full of grins," said Hague.
As fast boats raced to the capsule for initial safety checks – an unlikely escort arrived in the form of a playful pod of dolphins.
Soon after, a larger recovery vessel hoisted Freedom aboard. Teams opened the hatch, and one by one, the astronauts were helped out onto mobility aids, waving and flashing thumbs-up signs.
Next, they will be flown by helicopter to Houston, where they will begin a 45-day rehabilitation program.
"PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT," the White House posted on X, repeating a contentious claim that President Donald Trump had accelerated the recovery timeline.
Moments before touchdown, a set of parachutes deployed to slow Crew Dragon's descent, bringing it to speeds of less than 20 miles per hour, CNN reported.
Following the splashdown, teams at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will focus on helping the astronauts re-acclimate to Earth's gravity.
The crew will undergo initial medical checks aboard the rescue ship, with continuous monitoring in the coming days and weeks. Later today, the Crew-9 team will be transported to NASA's facilities in Houston, where they will receive additional medical evaluations.
(With inputs from ANI, AFP)
