Astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore Return Home Aboard SpaceX Dragon After Over Nine-Month Extended ISS Stay

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have arrived back on Earth following an extended stay of over nine months at the International Space Station (ISS).

The duo, part of NASA’s Crew-9 mission, returned aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which splashed down in the waters off Florida’s coast at 3.27 am (IST).

Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, lauded both SpaceX and NASA teams for ensuring a safe return of the astronauts.

He also expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump for prioritizing the mission.

"Congratulations to the @SpaceX and @NASA teams for another safe astronaut return! Thank you to @POTUS for prioritizing this mission!" he said, NDTV reported.

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore flew aboard NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test to space on 5 June last year. The mission was planned as an eight-day stay aboard the ISS.

However, on 6 June, just as the Starliner spacecraft neared the station, NASA and Boeing detected helium leaks and encountered reaction control thruster issues.

As a result, the spacecraft was returned to Earth without the crew.

Later in August, NASA decided to reassign Williams and Wilmore to SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, who were previously named as part of Crew-9, were dropped to accommodate the reassignment.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov flew to the space station as commander and mission specialist, respectively, as part of a two-crew member flight aboard a SpaceX Dragon.

Now, after spending more than nine months in space, the Crew-9 team has successfully returned to Earth.

Following a 17-hour journey, the spacecraft deployed its parachutes and executed a safe splashdown in the ocean off the Florida’s coast.

After landing, NASA’s recovery team swiftly opened the hatch and assisted the astronauts onto mobility aids.

As Williams exited the capsule, she smiled, waved, and gave a thumbs-up.

NASA said that Crew-9 will go for a thorough medical check first and fresh food will be served soon.

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