Starliner astronauts Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore return to Earth after 9 months in space
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore made splashdown on Earth on Tuesday after spending nine months in space.
A SpaceX crew with replacements for the two astronauts arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday evening, setting in motion their trip back home.
NASA confirmed their arrival with a video online of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in the water off the coast of Florida.
Within an hour, the astronauts were out of their capsule and waving at cameras before being checked medically, The Associated Press reported.
Wilmore and Williams were joined by Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
NASA wanted overlap between the crews so Williams and Wilmore could fill in the new astronauts on the work they were conducting aboard the ISS.
The mission that sent Williams and Wilmore to space was the first mission for Boeing’s Starliner and the company. It was delayed several times in June 2024 due to thruster failures and helium leaks.
When the Starliner was trying to dock on ISS, five of the 28 thrusters went down.
Instead of what was only meant to be a week in space, the astronauts embarked on a months-long journey to find out what was wrong with the Starliner capsule.
Boeing said it believed the capsule was safe enough to bring back to Earth with both astronauts, but NASA determined they would remain in space because it was too dangerous.
The capsule eventually did make a safe landing in New Mexico in September, but the SpaceX crew was eventually delayed until it launched in March.
Williams and Wilmore's return to Earth wraps up the dramatic venture for Boeing and its Starliner. The situation was seen as a blow to the company, since it had long awaited an opportunity to join the commercial space scene.
Boeing welcomed home the astronauts and said their dedication and commitment to space exploration was inspirational.