Above: A retrieval crew approaches the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft after it landed in waters off the Florida Coast on March 18 at 11:57a HST. Credit: NASA TV
Welcome home! On March 18, 2025, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were the center of global attention when they safely returned to Earth after their eight-day space mission was unexpectedly extended to more than nine months. The pair splashed down off the Florida coast in a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft together with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov who were part of the Crew-9 mission rotation. Just after landing, the astronauts were greeted by a group of surprise visitors—a pod of friendly dolphins who circled the capsule as the retrieval crew approached.
Wilmore and Williams were initially tasked with a test flight of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station. Unfortunately, Starliner’s first crewed flight was fraught with issues including thruster malfunctions and helium leaks in the propulsion system that deemed the spacecraft unsafe. While NASA could have returned the stranded astronauts sooner, the agency decided to extend their mission aboard the International Space Station to maximize resources and get some science done.
Despite the delay, Williams and Wilmore maintained a positive outlook and completed numerous science experiments and maintenance tasks, including several spacewalks by Williams. For Williams, the extended mission earned her the title of the second-most experienced U.S. astronaut next to Peggy Whitson.
Their return marked the end of a 286-day mission. The astronauts are now undergoing a medical evaluations and 45-day post-mission recovery program in Houston, TX.