After over nine months on orbit, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have landed safely back on Earth, closing out their long-duration spaceflight. Their SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft landed safely off the coast of Florida with two other crew members on board.
Almost immediately upon landing, a crackly voice could be heard coming from within the capsule, recording the excitement of the astronauts: “… amazing … what a ride!”
Wilmore and Williams had been on the International Space Station (ISS) since June, with their return put off by technical problems with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that was initially set to take them home. Their cinematic return on SpaceX brings an end to their prolonged mission, a long-awaited finale.
Recovery teams moved quickly to recover the capsule and its occupants, making the transition back onto Earth from months in microgravity safe.