Sunita Williams, Crew Welcomed By Dolphin Pod As SpaceX Capsule Splashes Down Safely; Video Viral | WATCH

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have returned to Earth after what was meant to be an eight-day mission turned into a nine-month ordeal in space.

They arrived alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, completing their journey as part of NASA/SpaceX Crew-9.

Photo Credit: Youtube/NASA

Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon spacecraft successfully brought the astronauts back, with splashdown occurring at 3:27 am off the coast of Florida.

As the recovery operation commenced, dolphins were spotted swimming around the capsule, creating a remarkable scene.

The recovery vessel later retrieved the capsule, lifting it from the water before opening the side hatch for the first time since September. The astronauts then disembarked and were flown to Houston, where they will undergo a 45-day rehabilitation programme.

Crew-9 undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) at 10:35 am (IST), with NASA releasing footage of the spacecraft detaching from the station.

SpaceX was responsible for overseeing their return, with the Dragon capsule launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Crew-10 has now replaced Crew-9 at the ISS.

Williams and Wilmore, both former US Navy pilots, originally travelled to the space station on 5th June last year aboard Boeing's Starliner on what was intended to be an eight-day mission, marking the first crewed flight of the spacecraft.

However, propulsion system failures left them stranded, and the Starliner capsule was deemed unfit to fly back, ultimately returning to Earth uncrewed in September.

With uncertainty surrounding their return, NASA reassigned them to SpaceX's Crew-9 mission. In September, a Dragon spacecraft was sent with a reduced crew of two instead of four to accommodate the stranded astronauts.

Following several delays, a relief team aboard a Dragon spacecraft finally arrived at the ISS on Sunday, paving the way for Crew-9's long-awaited journey home.