Does This Video Show Sunita Williams Returning to Earth? No, Video Is Old

Neither is this video recent nor does it show Williams returning to Earth.

Abhishek Anand
WebQoof
Published:
<div class="paragraphs"><p>Fact-Check | The viral video is old and is being shared with a false claim.&nbsp;</p></div>
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Fact-Check | The viral video is old and is being shared with a false claim. 

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

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A video of astronaut Sunita Williams is being shared on the internet with a claim that it shows her returning safely to the Earth after spending around 127 days in the space.

What did the viral post say?: Those sharing the video have said, "After successful 127 days of Space Tour, "Ms Sunita Williams" returning safely to Earth. This is Absolutely Mind Blowing video. Must Watch."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

This video is being widely shared on Facebook and X. More archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.

What is the truth?: The visuals could be traced back to at least 2012 and shows Williams, who was the then Commander of the International Space Station, giving a tour of the orbital laboratory.

  • It should be noted that Williams is still stuck in the space and would reportedly return to the earth in February 2025.

What led us to the truth?: While going through the viral video, we noticed a watermark on the top-left side that said "UNILAD Adventure".

The viral video had a watermark that said "Unilad Adventure".

(Photo: Viral video/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)

Where did we find the video?: We searched for UNILAD Adventure on Google and found a verified Facebook page with the same name.

  • On going through the page, we found the same video published in May 2019. Its caption said, "Ever wondered how astronauts eat, sleep, go to the gym and even go to the toilet in space."

  • This page has shared the same clip several times over the years. You can view the posts here and here.

The video was published on 14 May 2019.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

Other sources: A further keyword search directed us to similar visuals of Williams showing a tour of the laboratory available on the official YouTube channel of NASA.

  • The visuals were published on 20 November 2012 and its title said, "Departing Space Station Commander Provides Tour of Orbital Laboratory."

Williams to return to earth in 2025: As per recent reports, efforts have been taken to bring back Williams and Butch Wilmore who have been stuck in space.

  • A SpaceX Dragon capsule, along with astronauts, was launched to accommodate Williams and Wilmore on their return journey in February 2025.

Conclusion: It is clear that the video is old and is unrelated to Williams' return to the Earth.

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