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NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore made their long-awaited return to Earth, but their landing came with an unexpected twist—a pod of dolphins gathered to greet them as they splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico.
Williams and Wilmore initially launched on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule—a critical final test for the spacecraft and its first-ever crewed mission. Originally scheduled to last just eight days, the mission extended by nearly nine months due to technical issues with the Starliner.
Despite the unexpected delay, both astronauts remained in good spirits and even took part in a record-breaking spacewalk while awaiting their return to Earth.
Safe Splashdown Off The Coast Of Tallahassee, Florida
NASA successfully brought the astronauts home aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which landed off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, at 5:57 PM EDT on March 18, 2025. They were joined by Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronaut Nick Hague, who had also been on board the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro expressed relief and gratitude for their safe return, stating:
“We are thrilled to have Suni, Butch, Nick, and Aleksandr home after their months-long mission conducting vital science, technology demonstrations, and maintenance aboard the International Space Station.”
A Unique Welcome Party: Dolphins at the Landing Site
As the SpaceX recovery team arrived to retrieve the capsule, a surprise group of dolphins surfaced near the spacecraft, seemingly curious about the new arrivals. This rare sight added a special touch to the astronauts’ return after spending nearly a year in space.
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A video of the moment captures the astronauts taking their first breaths of fresh air after nine months in orbit. Once safely back on land, the crew was flown to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they reunited with their families.
During their extended stay on the ISS, the crew traveled an incredible 195,289,856 kilometers (121,347,491 miles) and orbited Earth 4,576 times. Thanks to this extended mission:
Butch Wilmore has now accumulated 464 days in space.
Suni Williams has reached a career total of 608 days in space, solidifying her status as one of NASA’s most experienced astronauts.
Janet Petro also acknowledged the Trump Administration’s role in expediting the crew’s return, stating that NASA and SpaceX worked diligently to move up the schedule by a month.
“This international crew and our teams on the ground embraced the Trump Administration’s challenge of an updated, and somewhat unique, mission plan to bring our crew home. Through preparation, ingenuity, and dedication, we achieve great things together for the benefit of humanity, pushing the boundaries of what is possible from low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars.”
With their return, NASA continues to push forward in advancing human spaceflight, paving the way for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
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