NASA astronauts return after an unplanned nine-month mission in space.

 

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have finally returned to Earth after an unexpectedly extended stay in space.

Originally, the duo planned to spend just a week aboard the International Space Station (ISS) following their June launch on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. However, due to technical issues, their stay stretched to over nine months.

At last, Williams and Wilmore have splashed down safely, returning to Earth inside a SpaceX Dragon capsule. They departed the ISS at 1:05 a.m. ET on Tuesday, alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The four-person team, known as Crew-9, landed off the coast of Florida at approximately 5:57 p.m. ET.

Their return marks the conclusion of an unusual chapter in spaceflight history. Shortly after their arrival at the ISS, Williams and Wilmore encountered problems with Starliner’s thrusters while attempting to dock. As a result, NASA opted to send the spacecraft back to Earth uncrewed in September.

The two astronauts remained on the ISS and coordinated their return with Hague and Gorbunov, who arrived in September for a six-month mission.

Stay tuned for live updates as their journey home unfolds.

After spending more than nine months in orbit, NASA's Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore eventually make it home.

Off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore is spotted before crashing into the water. NASA/Keegan Barber

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore—who captured global attention as their brief space mission unexpectedly stretched into a politically charged nine-month ordeal—have finally returned home.

Williams and Wilmore, along with NASA’s Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, safely splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, at 5:57 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Their long-awaited return followed an early-morning departure from the International Space Station (ISS) at 1:05 a.m. ET aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

The four astronauts were part of the Crew-9 mission, a routine NASA-SpaceX crew rotation. Hague and Gorbunov arrived at the ISS in September aboard Crew Dragon, leaving two vacant seats for Williams and Wilmore, who had been stranded on the station since June when their original ride—a Boeing Starliner—suffered a critical malfunction.

For Williams and Wilmore, reaching Earth marked the end of a mission that drew widespread attention due to its unexpected twists and the failed Starliner return.

“Welcome home to the Crew-9 astronauts—NASA’s Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Your dedication and unwavering commitment to space exploration inspire us all,” Boeing Space shared on social media after their safe return.

Last summer, NASA determined that bringing the two astronauts home aboard their Boeing Starliner capsule was too risky. Instead, the agency integrated Williams and Wilmore into the International Space Station’s regular crew rotation, leading to their eventual return alongside Hague and Gorbunov on SpaceX’s Crew-9 capsule.

Despite their unexpectedly long stay, Williams and Wilmore did not break any records. Their mission lasted 286 days—well short of the world record of 437 days in orbit, set by the late Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov.

Williams, Wilmore, Hague, and Gorbunov spent Tuesday morning and afternoon inside the compact, 13-foot-wide (4-meter-wide) SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule as they journeyed back to Earth. The spacecraft gradually descended from the International Space Station, which orbits about 250 miles (400 kilometers) above the planet, toward the dense layers of Earth's atmosphere.

Around 5 p.m. ET, Crew Dragon ignited its engines to begin the critical reentry phase—the most perilous part of any return from space. As the capsule slammed into the atmosphere at more than 22 times the speed of sound, the extreme forces generated temperatures exceeding 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,926 degrees Celsius) on its exterior, potentially triggering a brief communications blackout.

As the spacecraft neared the surface, it deployed two sets of parachutes in rapid succession, drastically reducing its speed. The capsule slowed from an orbital velocity of over 17,000 miles per hour (27,359 kilometers per hour) to less than 20 miles per hour (32 kilometers per hour) before safely splashing down in the ocean.

Williams and Wilmore waited nine months for their return trip in a SpaceX capsule Tuesday after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that had transported them to the space station experienced multiple significant setbacks during the first part of their voyage.

The astronauts who had flown Starliner's first crewed test flight had to be transported by its main rival, which put Boeing in a difficult position.

However, the business celebrated Wilmore and Williams' homecoming today with a watch party.

The Boeing Starliner program's current state has been unclear.

During a press conference following the splashdown, Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, stated, "We are working hand in hand with Boeing as well on certification of Starliner, getting that vehicle back to flight." "Butch and Suni's return to Dragon, you know, demonstrates to me the value of having two distinct crew transit methods."

Following his and his crewmates' Tuesday landing in the water off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, NASA's Butch Wilmore is assisted from a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft aboard the recovery ship Megan. NASA/Keegan Barber

Boeing, according to Stich, is "extremely committed" to the process of examining Starliner's helium and thruster systems and testing new seals, which led to problems that arose during its first crewed flight. This summer, testing will continue.

"We were very near to having a capability that we would like to deploy," Stich stated, "and they understood that they have an essential vehicle." "I believe we need to make some adjustments to the way we operate and fire those thrusters before we can test them on the upcoming mission."

According to Stich, Starliner's second trip will probably be uncrewed in order to evaluate the modifications made during the spacecraft's first mission. Starliner might be certified as a result of the uncrewed test flight, which would then enable the spacecraft to start regular astronaut trips.

The tenacity of Williams and Wilmore, along with their families, was among the aspects of the mission that caught Stich's attention.

According to Stich, "they integrated very rapidly into station increment operations and became a seamless part of the International Space Station after launching on what was meant to be a short test trip with the crew flight test vehicle with Boeing." "And because they were seasoned astronauts, they took that action."