NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally returned to Earth on Tuesday, concluding an unexpected nine-month stay in space after a failed test flight disrupted their original mission timeline, The Associated Press reported.
Their SpaceX capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday evening, just hours after departing the International Space Station (ISS). The landing took place off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, marking the end of their prolonged mission.
Within an hour of their return, Wilmore and Williams emerged from the capsule, smiling and waving at the cameras before being taken for routine medical evaluations.
Originally, the two astronauts were expected to spend only a week in space following their launch aboard Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule on June 5. However, multiple technical problems forced NASA to send the Starliner back empty and reassign Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX for their return journey. Subsequent issues with the SpaceX capsule delayed their homecoming even further.
With their replacements having arrived at the ISS on Sunday, Wilmore and Williams were finally cleared to leave. NASA opted to send them back earlier than planned due to an unpredictable weather forecast. They departed alongside NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov, who had traveled to the ISS last fall in a SpaceX capsule, with two vacant seats originally reserved for the Starliner crew.
By the time they splashed down, Wilmore and Williams had spent a staggering 286 days in space—278 days longer than expected. They orbited Earth 4,576 times and traveled approximately 121 million miles, according to AP.
"On behalf of SpaceX, welcome home," SpaceX Mission Control in California radioed.
"What a ride," responded Hague, the capsule’s commander. "I see a capsule full of grins ear to ear."
Despite the unexpected circumstances, both astronauts seamlessly transitioned from temporary visitors to integral crew members aboard the ISS. They conducted scientific research, repaired equipment, and even embarked on spacewalks together. Williams set a record for the most career spacewalking hours among female astronauts, accumulating 62 hours over nine excursions.
Having both previously lived aboard the ISS, Wilmore and Williams were well-prepared for the challenges of an extended stay. Williams assumed the role of ISS commander three months into their mission and remained in charge until earlier this month.