NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, along with fellow astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, have safely returned to Earth after a prolonged mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Their return was facilitated by a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which splashed down off the coast of Florida on March 18, 2025, at approximately 5:57 p.m. EDT.
Initially, Williams and Wilmore’s mission was intended to last eight days; however, technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft led to an extended stay of nine months. Throughout this period, they conducted numerous scientific experiments, contributing valuable data for future space exploration endeavors.
Upon their return, the astronauts were greeted by dolphins near the splashdown site and underwent standard medical evaluations.