Sunita Williams’ Ancestral Village Celebrates Her Safe Return To Earth
New Delhi: The people of Jhulasan, astronaut Sunita Williams’ ancestral village in Gujarat, celebrated her safe return to Earth on Wednesday. They held aarti and prayers after her nearly nine-month space mission.
Williams and her Crew-9 teammates—Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—returned aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which successfully landed in the ocean.
In Ahmedabad, her cousin Dinesh Rawal performed a yagna (special prayer ritual) on Tuesday, praying for her safe return.
A Successful Landing
SpaceX confirmed the crew’s safe landing, sharing the news on X (formerly Twitter):
“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed—welcome back to Earth, Nick, Suni, Butch, and Aleks!”
NASA astronaut Nick Hague said the crew was thrilled to be back. Though his post-landing audio was unclear, he managed to express their joy.
NASA commentator Sandra Jones described the landing, calling the ocean view “breathtaking” and “calm like glass.”
Rescue teams quickly moved to recover the spacecraft. The capsule was lifted from the water and secured in the “Dragon’s nest” for transport. Before landing, parachutes slowed the spacecraft to a safe speed of under 20 miles per hour.
Returning to Normal Life on Earth
NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will now help the astronauts adjust to Earth’s gravity. Their first medical check-ups were done on the rescue ship, with further tests planned in Houston.
The team had left the International Space Station (ISS) at 1:05 AM ET before making their way back to Earth.
“We Were Never Stranded”
During their extended time in space, Williams and Wilmore dismissed media reports claiming they were “stuck” or “abandoned.”
“That’s been the story from day one: stranded, abandoned, stuck—and I get it,” Wilmore told CNN in February. “Help us change that story. The truth is, we were prepared and committed, no matter what people were saying.”
As Williams readjusts to life on Earth, her home village in Gujarat is still celebrating, proud of their hometown hero.
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