NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were stranded in space for nearly nine months due to technical issues, have safely returned to Earth. The astronauts landed on Wednesday after SpaceX’s Dragon Freedom capsule splashed down off the coast of Florida, concluding a mission that was originally planned to last only eight days but extended due to unforeseen complications.
NASA confirmed their return via a post on X (formerly Twitter), announcing that “NASA’s SpaceX #Crew9 touched down at Johnson Space Center’s Ellington Field in Houston at 11:19 pm CDT, March 18.”
Williams and Wilmore had traveled to the International Space Station in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for its first crewed test flight. However, the capsule suffered significant technical failures, making it unsafe for their return. By September, NASA decided to send the Starliner back empty, leaving the astronauts without a way to return to Earth.
After some delay, NASA assigned them seats on a SpaceX capsule. Because it was part of a six-month mission, Williams and Wilmore had to wait for an opportunity to come back. Despite being described as “stranded,” NASA assured the public that the astronauts were safe as emergency spacecraft remained docked at the ISS.
During their extended stay, the astronauts carried out research and spacewalks, with Williams setting a new record for the most time spent outside the space station by a female astronaut.
NASA officials expressed gratitude for the astronauts’ patience and adaptability. “It is awesome to have crew 9 home,” said Joel Montalbano, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for Space Operations. “Just a beautiful landing.”
The astronauts’ return journey lasted 17 hours, after which they were assisted onto stretchers for medical evaluations. Extended stays in space can weaken muscles, reduce bone density, and affect circulation, so astronauts undergo rehabilitation once back on Earth.
British astronaut Tim Peake noted, “Those first two or three days back on Earth can be really punishing,” referring to the challenges astronauts face when readjusting to Earth’s gravity.
