Tue Mar 18 23:08:00 UTC 2025: ## Astronauts Return to Earth After Nine-Month Space Station Stay
**Cape Canaveral, FL –** Four astronauts splashed down off the Florida coast on March 18, 2025, concluding a nine-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Crew-9, commanded by NASA astronaut Nick Hague, included Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, and NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. Their return marked the end of a mission complicated by earlier setbacks.
The SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying the crew splashed down approximately 17 hours after undocking from the ISS. Hague was the first to emerge, followed by Gorbunov, Williams, and Wilmore, all appearing slightly unsteady after adapting to Earth’s gravity. The astronauts were greeted by a pod of dolphins near the capsule before being recovered by a waiting vessel.
Williams and Wilmore’s journey was particularly eventful. Initially launched on a Boeing Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 for an eight-day mission, their return was delayed after propulsion system issues grounded the Starliner. After a period of uncertainty, NASA reassigned them to the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, with a Dragon capsule sent to bring them home.
Their return was delayed further by complications involving a subsequent SpaceX mission, necessitating a relief crew, Crew-10, to replace them on the ISS before their return could be organized. Following recovery, the astronauts were transported to Houston for a 45-day rehabilitation program. The successful conclusion of the mission marks the completion of Crew-9’s extended journey, a testament to the resilience of the astronauts and the adaptability of space agencies.
First Piper 