Sunita Williams, the Indian-origin astronaut stranded in space for more than nine months along with Butch Wilmore are set to finally head home   on Tuesday (Mar 18) after their capsule undocked from the International Space Station (ISS). The SpaceX craft carrying them detached from the orbital outpost at 0505 GMT, according to images broadcast by NASA. 

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Also read: 'Woman with wild hair': Here's why astronauts like NASA's Sunita Williams don't tie their hair?

Politics around astronauts' return

Their prolonged mission, which grabbed global attention, has finally ended but it remained quite controversial as it was reported that the astronauts could have returned home early. 

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The politics surrounding the stranded astronauts came to the fore when US President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk faced accusations of spreading misinformation about the situation. They had been claiming that the astronauts were "stranded" and "abandoned" by Trump's predecessor Joe Biden's administration. 

Also read: Trump says he instructed Elon Musk to bring ‘abandoned’ astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore back

In a post on X, Musk said that his company SpaceX "could have sent up another Dragon [spacecraft] and brought" back the astronauts "stuck in space" home six months ago.

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But, he claimed, "the Biden White House [not NASA] refused to allow it." 

The SpaceX owner also said that Trump "asked to bring them back as soon as possible, and we are doing so". 

Interestingly, astronaut Butch Wilmore reacted to Musk's claim about bringing astronauts back to Earth early.

He said, "…what Mr Musk says is absolutely factual".

The astronaut added that he didn't have details of Musk's "offer". 

Also read: Sunita Williams splashdown time and place: Full schedule of Crew-9's return to Earth

What did NASA say?

NASA said the astronauts were not stranded, but rather, their mission was extended due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that brought them to the ISS. 

The spacecraft experienced helium leaks and thruster malfunctions, prompting NASA to keep the astronauts on the ISS while they worked on a plan to return them safely to Earth.

Also read: 'She won’t be able to walk': How NASA’s Sunita Williams will be punished by Earth’s gravity upon return

The situation has been politicised, with some accusing Trump and Musk of trying to score points against the Biden administration.

SpaceX is a competitor to Boeing in the space industry and Musk has been accused of having a vested interest in portraying the Starliner as unreliable. 

Despite the politics, the astronauts themselves were seen doing well and even contributing to scientific research on the space station. 

(With inputs from agencies)