NASA's SpaceX Crew-9, Sunita Williams return to Earth after nine-month space mission
NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 has successfully completed its mission, returning safely to Earth on Tuesday after months of being stuck at the International Space Station (ISS) following technical issues with the spacecraft scheduled to bring them home.
On Wednesday, the crew splashed down in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico at 1:57 AM GST.
Splashdown confirmed! #Crew9 is now back on Earth in their @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. pic.twitter.com/G5tVyqFbAu
— NASA (@NASA) March 18, 2025
SpaceX Dragon completes mission
The returning crew members included NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Following their landing, teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft before the crew was transported to shore. From there, they will travel to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to reunite with their families.
'We are thrilled to have Suni, Butch, Nick, and Aleksandr home after their months-long mission conducting vital science, technology demonstrations, and maintenance aboard the International Space Station,' said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro.
The mission began with Hague and Gorbunov launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on September 28, 2024. They docked at the ISS the following day. Meanwhile, Williams and Wilmore travelled to the ISS on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, launching from Cape Canaveral on June 5, 2024, as part of the Boeing Crew Flight Test.
They joined the ISS on June 6, before NASA later integrated them into Expedition 71/72 for their return with Crew-9.
We're getting our first look at #Crew9 since their return to Earth! Recovery teams will now help the crew out of Dragon, a standard process for all crew members after returning from long-duration missions. pic.twitter.com/yD2KVUHSuq
— NASA (@NASA) March 18, 2025
Throughout the mission, the crew engaged in numerous scientific experiments, maintenance activities, and technology demonstrations. Williams now holds the record for total spacewalking time by a female astronaut, with 62 hours and 6 minutes.
The Crew-9 team contributed over 900 hours to more than 150 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations. Their research included investigations into plant growth, stem cell technology for treating blood diseases and cancers, astronaut circadian rhythm maintenance, and microorganism survival in space.
They also facilitated the deployment of the first wooden satellite.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Freedom, completed its fourth flight with Crew-9. It previously supported NASA's SpaceX Crew-4, Axiom Mission 2, and Axiom Mission 3.
The Crew-9 mission is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, designed to provide safe and cost-effective transportation to and from the ISS.
This program enhances scientific research opportunities in low Earth orbit and supports NASA's broader goal of human exploration of the Moon and Mars. Crew-9's return coincides with NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 launch, which docked with the ISS on March 16 to begin another long-duration mission.
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