Capsule carrying stranded astronauts departs from ISS

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are on their way back to Earth after being stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for more than nine months.

Their extended stay ended early Tuesday when they departed in a SpaceX capsule, along with two other astronauts.

The capsule undocked from the ISS while orbiting 260 miles (418 kilometers) above the Pacific Ocean, with a planned splashdown off the Florida coast by early evening, weather permitting.
The departure process began at 11:20 PM (ET) on March 17, when the Dragon capsule’s hatch was securely closed. At around 1:05 AM (ET) on March 18, the capsule autonomously undocked from the ISS, officially starting the astronauts' journey home.

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