NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore set to return back to earth; details here
Washington DC: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were originally supposed to spend just 10 days at the International Space Station (ISS), are finally set to return to Earth after nearly 10 months in space, reported NDTV.
The two astronauts, who have been stranded at the ISS since June 2024, will be coming back aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, expected to land as early as March 16, according to NASA officials.
Williams and Wilmore launched on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. However, technical problems with the spacecraft’s thrusters caused difficulties during docking.
After months of investigation, NASA and Boeing decided that Starliner was not safe enough to bring them back. The spacecraft returned to Earth without the crew in September, leaving the astronauts waiting for an alternative ride home.
NASA later arranged for SpaceX to bring them back on the return trip of Crew-9. This mission was originally launched in September with only two members, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, leaving room for Williams and Wilmore.
Crew-9 was initially scheduled to return in February after completing its six-month mission, but the plan was delayed due to scheduling changes. Now, NASA has confirmed the launch of Crew-10, which will replace Crew-9 at the ISS.
Crew-10 is set to launch on March 12 from Kennedy Space Center, carrying astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov. Because of delays in building a new Crew Dragon spacecraft, they will be flying on the Endurance capsule instead.
If everything goes as planned, Crew-9 will leave the ISS on March 16, after a two-day transition period on March 14 and 15. However, if Crew-10’s launch is delayed, Crew-9’s return will also be pushed back. Backup launch dates for Crew-10 are available on March 13 and 14, which could shift Crew-9’s return to March 17 or 18.
NASA officials will continue to monitor the schedule and make adjustments as needed to ensure a safe return for Williams and Wilmore.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
