Tue Mar 18 01:50:00 UTC 2025: **NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Mission to Return to Earth Tuesday**
**Houston, TX** – NASA announced today that the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, carrying four astronauts back to Earth from the International Space Station, is slated to splash down off the coast of Florida on Tuesday, March 18th. The return, originally planned for later in the week, has been moved up due to favorable weather conditions.
The Crew-9 astronauts – NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov – have completed a long-duration science mission and will bring valuable research samples back to Earth.
NASA will provide extensive live coverage of the return, beginning with the closing of the Dragon spacecraft hatch at 10:45 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 17th, and continuing through splashdown, which is currently estimated for 5:57 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. Coverage will be available on NASA+, with a switch to audio-only during certain periods pending weather conditions. A post-splashdown media conference will be held at 7:30 p.m. EDT on NASA+.
US-based media wishing to attend the in-person conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston must RSVP by 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. U.S. and international media wishing to participate remotely via phone must contact NASA Johnson by 3 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. Specific splashdown location details will be confirmed closer to the event. Mission managers will continue monitoring weather conditions to ensure a safe return. For complete coverage details and schedule information, please visit [insert NASA website link here].
First Piper 