NASA has released the first pictures of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams after their remarkable nine-month journey in space, which was originally planned for just eight days.
The duo was photographed alongside fellow NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. They all were part of SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission and successfully returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday.
The images of Wilmore and Williams were taken after their arrival at the Johnson Space Center in Houston following a splashdown off the coast of Florida earlier that day.
Both astronauts appeared to be in great condition, standing unaided despite the extended time spent in microgravity. Wilmore had a big smile as he greeted officials at the space center.
Williams, also standing, smiled brightly as she stepped off the aircraft. The two astronauts had reached orbit aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft back in June 2024. However, the initial crewed flight faced challenges with its thrusters during the journey to the ISS. While they managed to dock successfully, engineers couldn’t confidently resolve the technical difficulties, prompting the decision to return the spacecraft empty, which left Wilmore and Williams awaiting a ride home for nine months.
Despite the unexpected delay, both astronauts thrived during their time in space and continued to work alongside their ISS crewmates, just as they had done on previous long-term missions aboard the orbital outpost.
Wilmore and Williams were given seats on SpaceX’s Crew-9 Crew Dragon spacecraft, which arrived at the ISS in September of last year, bringing Hague and Gorbunov for a six-month mission.
The crew made their return early on Wednesday, splashing down off the coast of Florida, where they were welcomed back by a playful pod of dolphins shortly after landing in the ocean.
