Nine months stranded in space: SpaceX capsule brings two astronauts home
Two astronauts stuck in space for nearly nine months have finally splashed down to Earth in a SpaceX capsule.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the International Space Station on June 5, and were only supposed to be in orbit for eight days.
Instead, following a slew of setbacks, a simple test of Boeing’s Starliner turned into a months-long mission to rescue them.
The Starliner that carried Butch and Suni to the ISS was returned to Earth for repairs, leaving the two astronauts stranded in space.
In this image provided by NASA, a SpaceX capsule splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Picture: Alamy
But early on Tuesday morning, a SpaceX crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station, delivering the replacements for the two stuck astronauts and allowing them to begin their journey home.
The two astronauts have now splashed down off the coast of Florida in the capsule, and will soon be reunited with their loved ones.
In an extraordinary turn, a school of curious dolphins swam up to the capsule, as relief teams worked to open it up and get the astronauts out.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Returns To Earth. Picture: Getty
When the SpaceX relief team arrived, Wilmore swung open the space station’s hatch and then rang the ship’s bell as the new arrivals floated in one by one on Sunday and were greeted with hugs and handshakes.
"It was a wonderful day," Ms. Williams told mission control. "Great to see our friends arrive."
Butch and Suni’s returning vessel undocked from the orbiting outpost at 1:05 am ET (5:05 am GMT) on Tuesday and began its 17-hour descent to Earth.
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. Picture: NASA
The Boeing Starliner capsule encountered so many problems that NASA insisted it returned to Earth empty, leaving its test pilots behind to wait for a SpaceX lift.
Their ride arrived in late September with a downsized crew of two and two empty seats reserved for the leg back. But more delays resulted when their replacements’ new capsule needed extensive battery repairs.
An older capsule took its place, pushing up their return by a couple of weeks to mid-March.
The rescue of both astronauts became embroiled in what can only be described as political football, with Donald Trump pledging his hard-right billionaire ally Elon Musk could rescue them at any moment, while Joe Biden accused Musk of "abandoning" them.
Speaking in February, Butch told CNN: “We don’t feel abandoned, we don’t feel stuck, we don’t feel stranded. I understand why others may think that … if you’ll help us change the rhetoric, help us change the narrative, let’s change it to ‘prepared and committed’, that’s what we prefer.”
World Affairs Correspondent
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