NASA's long-overdue astronauts return to Earth

Two astronauts, who spent more than nine months in orbit after a bungled Boeing test flight, have finally said goodbye to their orbiting home.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams unlocked from the International Space Station, where they’ve been since last spring, and boarded a SpaceX capsule this morning alongside two other astronauts. 

Here’s what to know about their journey home:

Astronauts finally return

What we know:

The SpaceX capsule parachuted down into the Gulf of Mexico just before 6 p.m. ET. on Tuesday.

"On behalf of SpaceX, welcome home," radioed SpaceX Mission Control in California.

"What a ride," replied Nick Hague, the capsule’s commander. "I see a capsule full of grins ear to ear."

The backstory:

Wilmore and Williams were originally expected to be gone just a week or so after launching on Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule on June 5, 2024. So many problems cropped up on the way to the space station that NASA eventually sent Starliner back empty and transferred the test pilots to SpaceX, pushing their homecoming into February. Then SpaceX capsule issues added another month’s delay.

The arrival on Sunday of their relief crew meant Wilmore and Williams could finally leave. NASA cut them loose a little early, given the iffy weather forecast later this week. They left with NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov, who arrived in their own SpaceX capsule last fall with two empty seats reserved for the Starliner duo.

Dig deeper:

Wilmore and Williams quickly transitioned from guests to full-fledged station crew members, conducting experiments, fixing equipment and even spacewalking together. With 62 hours over nine spacewalks, Williams set a record: the most time spent spacewalking over a career among female astronauts. Both had lived in the orbiting lab before and knew the ropes, and brushed up on their station training before rocketing away. Williams became the station's commander three months into their stay and held the post until earlier this month.

Big picture view:

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 members pose together for a portrait inside the vestibule between the International Space Station and the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft. (NASA)

While other astronauts have logged longer spaceflights over the decades, none had to deal with so much uncertainty or see the length of their mission expand by so much. 

Both retired Navy captains, Wilmore and Williams stressed they didn’t mind spending more time in space — a prolonged deployment reminiscent of their military days. But they acknowledged it was tough on their families.

Wilmore, 62, missed most of his younger daughter’s senior year of high school; his older daughter is in college. Williams, 59, had to settle for internet calls from space to her mother. They’ll have to wait until they’re off the SpaceX recovery ship and flown to Houston before the long-awaited reunion with their loved ones.

How to watch Crew-9’s return 

What you can do:

NASA is providing live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the ISS at www.nasa.gov/live and on YouTube. 

At 7:30 p.m. ET, a return-to-Earth media conference is planned in Houston with several NASA and SpaceX officials.