NASA astronauts return to Earth after nine-month ISS delay

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have returned to Earth after a nine-month mission on the International Space Station (ISS), landing in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on Tuesday following prolonged delays due to technical failures on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

The pair, who launched in June aboard Starliner for what was meant to be an eight-day test mission, became stranded on the ISS after propulsion issues grounded their return. NASA ultimately decided they would return as part of the agency’s routine crew rotation schedule, using SpaceX’s capsule instead of the troubled Boeing craft.

On Tuesday morning, Wilmore and Williams undocked from the ISS at 1:05 a.m. ET (0505 GMT) alongside two other astronauts. Their spacecraft, part of NASA’s Crew-9 mission, re-entered Earth's atmosphere around 5:45 p.m. ET before safely splashing down off Florida’s Gulf Coast ten minutes later.

"What a ride," Crew-9 commander Nick Hague said upon landing. "I see a capsule full of grins, ear to ear."

NASA’s recovery team hoisted the spacecraft out of the water and transported the astronauts to shore, where they will undergo medical evaluations at Johnson Space Center in Houston before reuniting with their families.

Political spotlight and SpaceX’s role

The extended mission caught the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump, who called for an earlier return and accused the previous administration of "abandoning" the astronauts in space—claims made without evidence. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a close ally of Trump, echoed the call for their return.

Boeing’s Starliner, originally designed to compete with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, now faces an uncertain future after the spacecraft’s technical issues forced NASA to rely solely on SpaceX for human spaceflight missions.

Life in space and record time logged

During their 286 days in orbit—far longer than the average six-month ISS mission—Wilmore and Williams conducted scientific research, station maintenance, and spacewalks. Williams, marking her third spaceflight, has now spent 608 days in space, the second most for any U.S. astronaut after Peggy Whitson’s 675 days.

NASA delayed their return to Earth until their replacements from Crew-10 arrived last Friday to maintain station staffing levels.

Williams, speaking before departure, said she was eager to return home. "It's been a roller coaster for [my family], probably more so than for us," she said, looking forward to reuniting with her two dogs.

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