NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have safely returned to Earth after their planned week-long mission aboard the International Space Station unexpectedly stretched into a nine-month weightless journey. The duo had launched on June 5 last year aboard Boeing’s Starliner for what was originally an eight-day mission. However, after several failed return attempts, they finally made it back in the early hours of Wednesday (IST), traveling aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
#WATCH | Splashdown succesful. SpaceX Crew-9, back on earth.
After being stranded for nine months at the International Space Station (ISS), NASA's Boeing Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore are back on Earth.
(Source – NASA TV via Reuters) pic.twitter.com/1h8pHEeQRq
— ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2025
Following an intense 17-hour return trip through space, the capsule landed safely in the Gulf of Mexico, just off the Florida coast. NASA hailed the splashdown as “spectacular.” Moments before the parachutes deployed and the spacecraft gently touched the water near Tallahassee, NASA’s Sandra Jones commented on the serene scene, calling it “breathtaking views of a calm, glass-like ocean.” In slightly garbled audio, Crew-9 commander Nick Hague could be heard saying the team was “grinning ear to ear.”
Soon after, SpaceX recovery teams arrived, securing the spacecraft with a rig and hoisting it aboard a ship into what’s referred to as the “Dragon’s nest.” Meanwhile, safety crews carefully inspected the capsule for damage or hazardous leaks before proceeding. When the moment finally came to open the capsule door, Williams and Wilmore were brought out on stretchers, following standard protocol. Both astronauts were visibly cheerful, smiling and flashing thumbs-up signs.
#WATCH | Being stranded at the International Space Station for 9 months, Sunita Williams is back on Earth with a smile
Today, NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 – astronauts Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, Sunita Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov returned to Earth after the… pic.twitter.com/mdZIQTG4SN
— ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2025
Their families await their arrival in Texas, where an emotional reunion is expected at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston—marking the end of an extraordinary mission that lasted far longer than anyone had imagined.