NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely returned to Earth on Tuesday, splashing down off Florida’s coast in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule after a mission that unexpectedly stretched to nine months—far longer than its original one-week plan.
Wilmore and Williams initially launched in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner for what was meant to be an eight-day test mission. However, serious propulsion system failures forced NASA to repeatedly delay their return, eventually integrating them into the regular crew rotation aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The extended stay turned into a high-profile event, intensifying scrutiny over Boeing’s struggling Starliner program.
Early Tuesday morning, Wilmore and Williams boarded the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft alongside two other astronauts and undocked from the ISS at 1:05 a.m. ET (0505 GMT), beginning a 17-hour journey back to Earth.
As part of NASA’s Crew-9 astronaut rotation mission, they re-entered the atmosphere at high speed, before deploying heat shields and parachutes for a controlled descent. The capsule made a soft splashdown at 5:57 p.m. ET, landing approximately 50 miles off Florida’s Gulf Coast under clear skies.
“What a ride,” said Nick Hague, Crew-9 mission commander, after landing. “I see a capsule full of grins, ear to ear.”
The returning crew will now head to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for routine health checks before reuniting with their families.
“They will get some well-deserved time off, well-deserved time with their families,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program chief. “It’s been a long time for them.”
The prolonged stay drew attention from U.S. President Donald Trump, who, after taking office in January, demanded their expedited return. Without providing evidence, Trump accused the previous administration of leaving the astronauts stranded for political reasons.
In response, NASA accelerated the Crew-9 replacement mission, fast-tracking a SpaceX capsule launch and streamlining safety reviews to bring Wilmore and Williams home.
Their safe return marks the end of one of NASA’s most unexpected and closely watched space missions, while also raising further concerns about Boeing’s Starliner program and its future in NASA’s commercial spaceflight efforts.
