NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams touch down after 9 months stay in space

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore safely returned to Earth after an unplanned nine-month stay in space. They were accompanied by fellow American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, Freedom, successfully splashed down off the Florida coast at 5:57 PM ET on Tuesday (3:27 AM IST, Wednesday), landing in the Gulf of Mexico near Tallahassee.

During re-entry, the spacecraft endured extreme temperatures of approximately 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,650 degrees Celsius) before deploying parachutes for a controlled descent. A recovery team is set to transport the crew to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they will undergo a 45-day rehabilitation program to readjust to Earth's gravity after their prolonged stay in microgravity.

Wilmore and Williams had originally launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in June last year aboard Boeing’s Starliner for what was intended to be an eight-day test mission to assess the spacecraft’s suitability for human spaceflight. However, propulsion system malfunctions forced Starliner to return unmanned, leaving the two astronauts unexpectedly stranded aboard the ISS.

Instead of rushing a rescue mission, NASA reassigned Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, which arrived at the ISS in September. To accommodate them, Crew-9’s original team size was reduced from four to two astronauts. Though their situation earned them the nickname “stranded astronauts,” NASA dismissed the term, emphasizing that emergency evacuation plans were always in place if needed.

Their prolonged stay and unforeseen circumstances captured global attention, making "Butch and Suni" well-known figures beyond spaceflight circles. While other astronauts have spent even longer durations in space, few have faced such prolonged uncertainty about their return, making their journey one of the most talked-about missions in recent history.