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March 19, 2025 | 11:52 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Two NASA astronauts, Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore, who were 'stranded' at the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months, have finally returned to Earth. The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule they were aboard landed in the waters off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, United States, on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 17:57 ET, or Wednesday morning WIB.
Suni and Butch returned with two SpaceX Crew-9 crew members, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The latter two had been on a mission at the ISS since September.
"We are thrilled to have Suni, Butch, Nick, and Aleksandr home after their months-long mission conducting vital science, technology demonstrations, and maintenance aboard the International Space Station," said NASA Administrator Janet Petro in her statement on the NASA website.
Suni and Butch had been on the ISS since June 2024. They arrived on the first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. A gas leak and problems with the Starliner's propulsion system led to their extended stay at the ISS, which was originally intended to be only around ten days.
NASA did not allow them to return on the Starliner due to safety concerns. Since then, Suni and Butch became part of the ISS Expedition 71/72 while awaiting the next mission to the ISS. It is worth noting that the retrieval of Suni and Butch required modifications to the SpaceX Dragon capsule's cabin space to accommodate more astronauts than usual.
(from left) Butch Wilmore, Aleksandr Gorbunov, Nick Hague, and Suni Williams inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, on their way from the ISS back to Earth, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. NASA/Keegan Barber/ Handout via Reuters
Suni and Butch's return followed the arrival of the Crew-10 at the ISS on March 16, 2025. The Crew-10 also took over from the Crew-9 members, Nick and Aleksandr, who were on duty at the ISS.
According to NASA records, Suni and Butch traveled a distance of 121,347,491 miles during their ISS mission. They spent a total of 286 days in space and completed 4,576 orbits around the Earth. Meanwhile, Nick and Aleksandr traveled a distance of 72,553,920 miles during the mission, spent 171 days in space, and completed 2,736 orbits around the Earth.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, United States, March 18, 2025. NASA/Keegan Barber/ Handout via Reuters
During this spaceflight, Nick has accumulated 374 days in space over two missions, Suni has accumulated 608 days in space over three flights, and Butch has accumulated 464 days in space over three flights. Meanwhile, Aleksandr made his first space flight.
Janet Petro said all the astronauts who returned to Earth yesterday immediately headed to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and were reunited with their families. "Through preparation, ingenuity, and dedication, we achieve great things together for the benefit of humanity, pushing the boundaries of what is possible from low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars," she said.
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