NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and her Crew-9 teammates Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov have successfully returned to Earth after nearly nine months in space, marking the completion of their extended mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX confirmed the splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft, which landed in the Gulf of America.
Upon landing, NASA astronaut Nick Hague was the first to communicate with mission control, expressing the crew’s excitement. “Grinning ear to ear,” Hague was heard saying, despite minor audio interference, CNN reported.
SpaceX officially announced the safe return with a post on X (formerly Twitter):
“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – welcome back to Earth, Nick, Suni, Butch, and Aleks!”
NASA commentator Sandra Jones described the landing scene as “breathtaking, with a calm, glass-like ocean.”
Rescue ships operated by SpaceX are en route to retrieve the spacecraft. A specialized rig on board one of the vessels will soon lift the Dragon capsule out of the water and place it in the “Dragon’s nest.”
Before touchdown, Crew Dragon deployed parachutes to slow its descent, ensuring a safe landing at speeds of less than 20 miles per hour, CNN reported.
Following the splashdown:
- NASA teams in Houston will assist the astronauts in re-acclimating to Earth’s gravity.
- The crew will undergo medical checks aboard the rescue ship and continue to be monitored in the coming days and weeks.
- Later today, the astronauts will be transported to NASA’s Houston facility for additional medical evaluations and debriefings.
Williams and Wilmore’s prolonged time in space had been the subject of intense speculation and scrutiny. However, the astronauts repeatedly dismissed claims that they were “abandoned,” “stuck,” or “stranded.”
“That’s been the narrative from day one: stranded, abandoned, stuck – and I get it, we both get it,” Wilmore told CNN in February. “Help us change the narrative. Let’s change it to: prepared and committed despite what you’ve been hearing. That’s what we prefer.”
Now back on Earth, Williams and her team’s successful mission marks another milestone for NASA and SpaceX’s continued space exploration efforts.
