A spectacular scene unfolded as the SpaceX Dragon Freedom capsule, carrying astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, safely splashed down off the Florida coast. A pod of dolphins swimming around the spacecraft added an unexpected, breathtaking touch to their return journey.
A pod of dolphins swimming around the @SpaceX capsule after spashdown off the coast of florida #SpaceX #Crew9 @NASA pic.twitter.com/NwfZzIwUek
— peter lombari (@lombari_peter) March 18, 2025
The SpaceX Crew-9 mission, concluding its International Space Station (ISS) expedition, marked another milestone in commercial spaceflight. After an unplanned nine-month mission, Williams and Wilmore returned to Earth on Wednesday, capturing global attention.
A pod of dolphins is assisting in the NASA / SpaceX Crew-9 recovery
pic.twitter.com/pKhQZkBM7F
— Owen Sparks (@OwenSparks_) March 18, 2025
The Crew Dragon capsule, carrying Williams, Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at 3:37 am (2157 GMT). The gumdrop-shaped spacecraft, named Freedom, endured temperatures up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit during re-entry, its exterior charred but intact.
Recovery teams quickly approached the floating capsule, with fast boats conducting initial safety checks before a recovery vessel retrieved the astronauts. They will undergo a 45-day rehabilitation program in Houston.
Originally scheduled for a short test flight on Boeing’s Starliner in June 2023, Wilmore and Williamsboth former US Navy pilotswere stranded due to propulsion issues. Reassigned to the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, they arrived in September with a reduced team. Their 286-day mission ranks sixth among the longest US space expeditions.
The arrival of Crew-10 at the station paved the way for Crew-9’s long-awaited return, concluding an extraordinary space journey.
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