Suni Williams says she will likely never return to space after 8-day mission turned into 9 months

NASA astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Suni Williams reflect on their unexpectedly long mission as they head home after 286 days in space.

What was supposed to be an eight-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) turned into almost nine months due to technical failures on the Boeing Starliner.

As they prepared to leave, emotions ran high as Williams and Wilmore bid farewell to the new Crew-10 team, who are set to take over ISS operations for the next six months. Commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, are replacing Wilmore, Williams, and Crew-9 astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov.

After undocking from the ISS at 05:05 GMT (01:05 EDT) on Tuesday (18 March), the astronauts are now travelling in a SpaceX capsule on a 17-hour trip back to Earth. They're expected to splash down off the coast of Florida at 21:57 GMT (17:57 EDT) later today.

However, according to a BBC report, Suni was saddened at the fact this might be her last space mission. "I think just the fact that we're living up here, in this very unique place, gives you an amazing perspective," she described. "I don't want to lose that spark of inspiration when I leave, so I'm going to have to bottle it somehow."

Speaking in the weeks before their departure, Wilmore said they weren't fazed when their mission was extended.

"We came up prepared to stay long, even though we plan to stay short," he said. "That's what we do in human space flight. That's what your nation's human space flight programme is all about."

The pair also sent a message of appreciation to President Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, thanking them for their role in getting them home.

But the journey home will be far from easy. The SpaceX Dragon capsule must endure a blazing re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere, facing temperatures of up to 1,600C (2,912°F).

As the spacecraft rapidly slows down, the astronauts will experience intense g-forces, about four times the Earth’s gravity. Four large parachutes will deploy and allow the craft to land gently in the ocean, where recovery teams will be waiting to bring them aboard.

Once back on solid ground, Williams and Wilmore will undergo rehabilitation and recovery treatments to re-adjust to life with gravity again. Nevertheless, their return marks the end of an unforgettable mission that made international headlines.