Sunita Williams’ Home Village Celebrates Her Safe Return to Earth with Aarti and Prayers

Jhulasan, the native village of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams in Gujarat, erupted in celebration on Wednesday as residents performed aarti and offered prayers to mark her safe return to Earth after nearly nine months in space.

The joyous occasion followed the successful splashdown of the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft, which brought back Williams along with Crew-9 members Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Ahead of the landing, Williams' cousin, Dinesh Rawal, had organized a 'Yagna' in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, seeking her safe return from space.

Following the splashdown, SpaceX confirmed the crew’s successful re-entry, and NASA astronaut Nick Hague shared that they were “grinning ear to ear” upon landing. His first message to mission control, though partially unclear, conveyed the crew’s relief and joy, CNN reported.

Williams, a veteran astronaut, had originally traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2023 aboard Boeing’s Starliner but was reassigned to NASA’s Crew-9 mission due to technical issues with the spacecraft. After spending 286 days in space, she and her fellow crew members have now returned safely, marking another milestone in human spaceflight.

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