NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, along with Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, safely splashed down in the Gulf of America Tuesday, concluding an eventful Crew-9 mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft hit the water at 5:57 ET, ending a journey that saw Williams and Wilmore’s stay extend far beyond its planned eight days due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner.
The crew’s return followed a meticulously executed departure from the ISS. Hatch closure preparations began late Monday, with Dragon undocking on time at 1:05 a.m. ET Tuesday, as confirmed by SpaceX. After completing orbit-lowering burns and shedding its trunk, the spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, parachuting into calm waters off Florida’s coast—17 hours after leaving the station.
Williams and Wilmore, launched in June 2024 for Boeing’s Crew Flight Test, faced delays that stretched their mission into months. They were joined by Hague and Gorbunov, who arrived at the ISS on September 28, 2024, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9.
Mission managers from NASA and SpaceX finalized the splashdown plan Sunday, opting for Tuesday after assessing favorable weather conditions. The decision avoided choppier seas forecast later in the week, ensuring a smooth recovery. NASA broadcast the event live, beginning at 4:57 p.m. ET, with SpaceX sharing updates on X, including a striking image of Dragon’s descent.
In all, Crew-9 logged over 900 hours on more than 150 experiments, NASA noted. Williams prepared micro-algae growth packets, Hague processed samples for the same study, and Wilmore photographed Earth for long-term climate records. Their work included flame spread tests and hearing studies, with samples returning aboard Dragon.
As for spacewalks, Williams and Hague completed a six-hour EVA (extravehicular activity) on January 16, replacing a gyro assembly and patching the NICER telescope. Williams, with Wilmore, also swabbed the ISS exterior for a microbial study in a separate spacewalk, pushing her career total past 62 hours across nine EVAs — a female astronaut record. Hague’s January effort was his lone spacewalk on this mission; Gorbunov focused on station operations like hearing tests.
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Christina Botteri is the Executive Editor of The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow her on X at @christinakb.
Images “Dragon Splashdown” by SpaceX.
