U.S. astronauts Suni, Butch return to Earth after nine months in space

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NASA astronauts Suni Williams, left, and Butch Wilmore stand together for a photo enroute to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for their liftoff on a Boeing Starliner capsule to the International Space Station. Associated Press / Photo by Chris O'Meara, file

U.S. astronauts Suni, Butch return to Earth after nine months in space

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth Tuesday evening aboard a SpaceX capsule after nine months in space. They splashed down off the coast of Florida, according to NASA.

The two flew to the International Space Station on Boeing’s Starliner last summer, planning on a short mission. But issues with the experimental spacecraft led NASA to send it back empty and extend the astronauts’ stay to February. SpaceX setbacks pushed their return back another month.

Also returning in the SpaceX capsule were two others, Nick Hague of NASA and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. They joined Williams and Wilmore aboard the space station in September 2024.

Who is the new crew of the International Space Station? The mission members replacing the previous crew are NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. They arrived at the station on Sunday.

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