NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams have safely returned to Earth after an extended mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Their mission, initially intended to last eight days, was prolonged to approximately nine months due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which was originally scheduled to return them home.
On March 18, 2025, the astronauts returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, safely splashing down off the coast of Florida.
They were greeted by dolphins upon splashdown and immediately underwent medical evaluations.
Their prolonged stay in space sparked political discussions, with former President Donald Trump and advisor Elon Musk attributing the delay to the Biden administration. However, NASA officials emphasized that safety concerns and technical issues were the primary factors influencing their extended mission.
Throughout their time on the ISS, Wilmore and Williams conducted around 150 experiments, contributing valuable data for future space missions.