The two Boeing Starliner astronauts left behind on the International Space Station are back on Earth, ending an odyssey that turned a planned eight-day trip into more than nine months in space.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who arrived aboard Starliner as part of its Crew Flight Test last June, returned home instead in a SpaceX Crew Dragon, splashing down in calm waters under blue skies off Florida’s Gulf Coast near Tallahassee at 5:57 p.m. Eastern time.

The extended and unexpected duration of their stay drew attention and commentary around the world, even fueling political controversy as President Donald Trump insisted earlier this year that they be brought home. All along, though, NASA refused to call them “stranded,” arguing that time in space is an astronaut’s dream.

Ultimately, the duo became part of the Crew-9 mission departing the station with commander Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who had arrived last September in the Crew Dragon Freedom with only two crew instead of the normal four so that Williams and Wilmore had seats for the flight back.

“Nick, Alex, Butch, Suni, on behalf of SpaceX, welcome home,” said SpaceX mission control moments after a picture-perfect splashdown.

“What an amazing ride. I see a capsule full of grins ear-to-ear” replied Hague before the capsule was brought on board a recovery vessel where its four occupants could exit the spacecraft and get their first breaths of fresh air in months.

The side hatch opened less than 50 minutes after touchdown and personnel were on hand to assist all four passengers onto gurneys to be taken for a standard medical checkup. First out was Hague who flashed a smile and thumbs up before being wheeled away, followed by Gorbunov, then Williams and finally Wilmore.

The spacecraft had undocked at 1:05 a.m. Tuesday to begin the crew’s 17-hour flight home. In its final hour, Dragon performed a deorbit burn during which slowed it from 17,500 mph. Its final parachute-assisted drop to the water’s surface was a gentle 15 mph.

“On behalf of Crew-9 I’d like to say it was a privilege to call station home, to live and work and be a part of our mission and a team that spans the globe working together in cooperation for the benefit of humanity,” Hague said as the spacecraft inched away from the station. “We know the station’s in great hands. We’re excited to see what you guys are going to accomplish, and we’ll be waiting for you. Crew 9’s going home.”

NASA’s Anne McClain, commander of the Crew-10 mission that arrived at the station two days previously, opening the door for Crew-9’s exit, confirmed the spacecraft’s safe departure.

“To Crew-9, safe journey home. It’s been the honor of a lifetime to cross your path up here on space station,” she said. “Your service has been very much appreciated, and we’ll miss you, but have a great journey home.”

Fellow Crew-10 member, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, who will take over command of the station next month, added, “I wish we could spend more time with you guys, but many people who love you and whom you love are waiting for you, so safe travels. Godspeed.”

Williams and Wilmore spent 286 days in space while Hague and Gorbunov spent 171 days in space.

Boeing’s Starliner launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 5, 2024, docking with the space station one day later. It was Starliner’s first human spaceflight coming more than four years after SpaceX accomplished the same feat with its Crew Dragon.

Starliner, though, suffered thruster failures and helium leaks on the flight up, which ultimately led to NASA choosing to keep Williams and Wilmore safe on the station instead of flying home on board that ship.

Starliner made it home safely, while its passengers remained on the station, becoming part of the Expedition 72 crew, and officially part of Crew-9 once the Crew Dragon Freedom arrived.

This completes Williams and Wilmore’s third trip to space, with each having previously flown to the space station on both the space shuttle and Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The duo’s flights on four different spacecraft matches a feat achieved only by Orlando’s John Young, who flew on the space shuttle, Gemini, Apollo command module and Apollo lunar module spacecraft.

The plight of the Starliner duo had become a political talking point after Elon Musk and Trump called out the Biden administration for keeping them up at the station instead of sending up a rescue mission.

It became amplified once SpaceX failed to get a new Crew Dragon spacecraft ready in time for what was supposed to be a February flight up to the station for Crew-10.

Facing further delays, SpaceX and NASA opted to switch out to the Crew Dragon Endurance, allowing for the flight up to the space station earlier this week and pushing up plans by a couple of weeks for the Crew-9 return.

The more than nine-month stay is not among the longest stays by a NASA astronaut. That title went to Frank Rubio, who spent 371 days in space; his stay was also due to spacecraft issues when he had to wait for a replacement Soyuz rocket to arrive before he could fly home.

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