NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Safely Returns to Earth After Extended by Accident Mission

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission successfully ended on March 18, with astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov returning safely to Earth after months on the ISS. The Dragon spacecraft splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico at 5:57 p.m. EDT, as reported by NASA News.

Recovery teams quickly assisted, and the crew will reunite with families at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro expressed excitement over their return following a mission that advanced scientific research and technology demonstrations.

The mission timeline was shifted a month ahead under a directive from the U.S. administration. Hague and Gorbunov launched on September 28, 2024, via SpaceX Falcon 9, while Williams and Wilmore arrived earlier in June on Boeing’s Starliner. They were integrated into Crew-9 for the return.

The crew conducted over 150 experiments, including research on plant growth in microgravity and advancements in stem cell technologies. Notably, Williams set a record as the female astronaut with the most cumulative spacewalking time, logging 62 hours and 6 minutes.

In total, Williams and Wilmore spent 286 days in space, covering 121 mln miles and completing over 4,500 orbits, while Hague and Gorbunov logged 171 days. Crew-9 was the fourth flight of the SpaceX Dragon Freedom, which will undergo processing for future missions.

The return follows the recent successful docking of Crew-10, highlighting NASA’s ongoing rotation of missions aboard the ISS as part of its Commercial Crew Program, which aims to ensure reliable access to low Earth orbit for future exploration of the Moon and Mars.

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