After spending 286 days in space, astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams have returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. Their journey, which was initially planned to last just over a week, extended to over nine months due to delays. They were accompanied by Crew-9 commander Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov on their return trip.
The Crew Dragon detached from the International Space Station and, after a 17-hour journey, landed safely in the Gulf of Mexico near Tallahassee at 5:57 p.m. EDT. Nick Hague communicated with SpaceX controllers, confirming the successful deployment of the parachutes and splashdown. A recovery team was on standby to assist the astronauts out of the capsule for medical evaluations.
Wilmore and Williams' mission, which started on June 5 aboard a Boeing Starliner, faced numerous technical issues, leading to their extended stay. Their time in space ranks as the sixth-longest for a single NASA mission. Meanwhile, Hague and Gorbunov spent 171 days in orbit since their launch in September.
To counteract the effects of prolonged weightlessness, astronauts engage in daily exercise routines. Despite this, Wilmore and Williams will undergo extensive rehabilitation to readjust to Earth's gravity.
The return journey began with the Crew Dragon undocking from the ISS at 1:05 a.m. EDT, followed by a de-orbit burn to slow the spacecraft for re-entry. The capsule endured intense heat during re-entry before deploying parachutes for a safe landing.
Once recovered, the astronauts were flown to shore and then transported to Houston for further medical checks and reunions with their families. NASA's Steve Stich praised the astronauts and their families for their resilience during the extended mission.
Wilmore and Williams initially launched on Boeing's Starliner, which encountered multiple technical problems, leading NASA to extend their mission and bring the Starliner back remotely. The Crew-9 mission, which included Hague and Gorbunov, launched in September with only two astronauts instead of four to accommodate the extended stay of Wilmore and Williams.
NASA ensured a smooth transition by launching Crew-10, which included Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Kirill Peskov, and Takuya Onishi, to replace Crew-9. The handover was expedited to take advantage of favorable weather conditions for the splashdown.
The extended mission attracted significant attention, with former President Trump claiming that the astronauts were "abandoned" in space. He credited Elon Musk and SpaceX for their role in bringing the astronauts home. NASA had initially planned for the crew's return in February but delayed it due to issues with the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
The Crew Dragon "Freedom" launched last Friday, allowing Crew-9 and the Starliner astronauts to return earlier than initially planned. Musk supported Trump's claims, suggesting NASA declined an offer for a rescue mission, though NASA has not confirmed this.
NASA officials have refrained from directly addressing the president's comments, focusing instead on their commitment to safety and success under any administration. While Wilmore and Williams' mission was lengthy, it did not surpass the U.S. record set by Frank Rubio, who spent 371 days in space due to a separate extended mission.
With this mission, Williams has accumulated 608 days in space, ranking her second among U.S. astronauts for total time spent in orbit, just behind Peggy Whitson. Wilmore's total stands at 464 days over three flights.