India, March 17 -- With curiosity building over the return of a pair of US astronauts stuck for more than nine months on the International Space Station (ISS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Sunday confirmed that the duo will return to Earth on Tuesday, March 18, evening (GMT).

Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are to be transported home with another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon craft, which arrived at the ISS early Sunday.

The duo has been on the ISS since June last year after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they were testing on its maiden crewed voyage suffered propulsion issues and was deemed unfit to fly them back to Earth.

NASA said in a statement on Sunday eve...