PM Modi describes NASA astronaut Sunita Williams as a trailblazer and an icon
Congratulating the Crew-9 astronauts, including Indian-origin Sunita Williams, as they safely returned to Earth on Wednesday (March 19, 2025, Indian time), Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded their courage, determination, and contribution to space exploration.

He also praised all those who worked tirelessly to ensure their safe return, saying had demonstrated what happens when precision meets passion and technology meets tenacity.

According to Prime Minister Modi, space exploration is about pushing the limits of human potential, daring to dream, and having the courage to turn those dreams into reality. Sunita Williams, a trailblazer and an icon, has exemplified this spirit throughout her career, he said.

In a message on social media platform X, Prime Minister Modi said, “Welcome back, #Crew9! The Earth missed you.

Theirs has been a test of grit, courage and the boundless human spirit. Sunita Williams and the #Crew9 astronauts have once again shown us what perseverance truly means. Their unwavering determination in the face of the vast unknown will forever inspire millions.

Space exploration is about pushing the limits of human potential, daring to dream, and having the courage to turn those dreams into reality. Sunita Williams, a trailblazer and an icon, has exemplified this spirit throughout her career.

We are incredibly proud of all those who worked tirelessly to ensure their safe return. They have demonstrated what happens when precision meets passion and technology meets tenacity”.

Astronauts Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Willmore finally returned to Earth after their nine-month-long journey at the International Space Station (ISS). Their mission, which started on June 5, 2024, was supposed to end in eight days, but due to technical difficulties, they stayed in space for more than nine months.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 completed the agency’s ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday, splashing down safely in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, in the Gulf of America, the US space agency said.

Williams and Wilmore were joined on the journey home by NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. According to NASA, they returned to Earth at 5:57 p.m. EDT on Tuesday (early Wednesday morning as per India time).

Williams and Wilmore traveled 121,347,491 miles during their mission, spent 286 days in space, and completed 4,576 orbits around Earth. Hague and Gorbunov traveled 72,553,920 miles during their mission, spent 171 days in space, and completed 2,736 orbits around Earth, NASA said.