Sunita Williams comes home after 286 days and 4,577 laps around Earth

286 days in space, 4577 orbits around the planet and flying over a distance spanning 195.2 million kilometres, Nasa astronaut Sunita Williams has safely returned home.

The astronaut, who went on an eight-day mission to space with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, was forced the stay in zero gravity for nine months after the Starliner spacecraft she piloted to space developed multiple technical faults.

What seemed to be a quick test certification flight, a process Suni had been familiar with thanks to her test pilot days in the US Navy, turned into a long stay filled with new adventures, record-shattering spacewalk and a political slugfest.

The astronauts, part of the Crew-9 mission, ended their spaceflight as they splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean having braved the challenging re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere.

The Crew-9 astronauts boarded the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Tuesday morning as they suited up and undocked from the Harmony port of the International Space Station.

What lay ahead for the four veteran astronauts was a 17-hour-long flight that was controlled and monitored by the teams at Nasa, and Elon Musk-led SpaceX.

While Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have returned safely, their rehabilitation and recovery process has just begun.

The two astronauts will now have to get used to the “punishing” effect of gravity as it pushes blood down their body. In space, fluids move upwards, causing puffiness in the face and thinning of the legs. This reverses upon return to Earth, sometimes leading to discomfort.