California [US], March 19 : The Dragon spacecraft successfully splashed down this morning, marking the return of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams along with Crew-9 members Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov after spending nearly nine months in space, SpaceX confirmed.
Following the landing, NASA astronaut Nick Hague delivered his first message to mission control. While the audio was somewhat unclear, Hague could be heard saying that the crew was “grinning ear to ear,” CNN reported.
“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – welcome back to Earth, Nick, Suni, Butch, and Aleks!” SpaceX announced in a post on X.
NASA Crew-9 astronauts Sunita Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov breathed earthly air for the first time in over nine months on Wednesday after the successful splashdown of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.The astronauts disembarked the capsule on stretchers, as is customary, CNN reported. This precaution is taken by SpaceX for all astronauts returning from long-duration space missions.
As the capsule splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, several dolphins were seen swimming around it, welcoming the astronauts home. At least five dolphins were captured on video circling the capsule as it bobbed in the water, CNN reported. Boats in the area assisted in stabilizing the capsule and ensuring the astronauts’ safety.
Soon the White House took to Twitter and highlighted how US President Donald Trump prioritised the return of stranded NASA Crew-9 astronauts Sunita Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.The White House stated that the astronauts safely returned in the Gulf of America, crediting Elon Musk for their safe return.
“PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT: President Trump pledged to rescue the astronauts stranded in space for nine months. Today, they safely splashed down in the Gulf of America, thanks to Elon Musk, SpaceX, and NASA!”
Elon Musk congratulated the NASA and SpaceX teams on their successful return and thanked Trump for prioritising the mission.
“Congratulations to the SpaceX and NASA teams for another safe astronaut return! Thank you to Donald Trump for prioritizing this mission!” he wrote.
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov have been in space since September 2024. However, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams had been away much longer–their journey began last June. Initially expected to last just a week, their mission was extended to more than nine months due to issues with their Boeing Starliner capsule, which delayed their return.
