Chennai, Mar 19 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief MInister M K Stalin on Wednesday

expressed his happiness in the State Assembly on the safe return of Indian

Woman Astronaut Sunita Williams and three other crew members from the

International Space Station (ISS), ending a ninth month ordeal.

Sunita was the second astronaut from India after Wing Commander Rakesh

Sharma to have gone to the space wayback in 1984.

Rakesh flew in the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11 and made history by becoming

the first Indian citizen to reach space.

Making a statement in the State Asembly said India born Sunita and Butch

Wilmore, who were conducted scientific experiments in ISS for the ast 287

days, were stranded in the ISS and could not return to Earth due to a technical

glitch.

Stating that reports emerged expressing concern over their health condition and

that their lives could be in danger, the Chief Minister despite this, the Astronauts

stayed in ISS and discharged their duties.

At this stage, SpaceX Dragon spacecraft , when reached the ISS, splashed down

safely with Sunita, Butch and others on Wednesday early motning.

He said the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, in the

Gulf of America on early Wednesday morning at 0327 hrs (IST).

He said "the news that they have landed safely on earth has brought immense joy

and happines for all of us".

Mr Stalin congratulated and also thanked all those who were involved in the operations

for ensuring the safe return of Astronatucs from the ISS.

Welcoming the crew members home, NASA said its astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita

Williams, and Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov,

returned to Earth at 5:57 p.m. EDT.

Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and its crew.

Upon returning to shore, the crew flew to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston

and reunite with their families.

UNI GV 1415