NEW DELHI, March 18 -- Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months, have finally begun their return journey to Earth. According to NASA, the two astronauts undocked from the ISS at 10:35 am IST on Tuesday, embarking on a 17-hour trip back home. The four-member crew aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft is preparing for splashdown off the coast of Florida at 3:57 am IST on Wednesday. NASA initially scheduled their return for Wednesday, but due to unfavorable weather conditions later in the week, the agency moved up the timeline.

Williams and Wilmore originally launched to the ISS in June last year on what was meant to be a brief test mission for Boeing...