LIVE : NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 successfully wrapped and returned to earth
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 successfully wrapped up its ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station, returning safely to Earth on Tuesday. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, near Tallahassee, Florida. NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, landed at 5:57 p.m. EDT. SpaceX recovery teams quickly retrieved the spacecraft and crew, who will soon head to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to reunite with their families. “We are delighted to welcome Suni, Butch, Nick, and Aleksandr back home after their months-long mission aboard the space station, where they contributed to essential science, technology experiments, and maintenance,” said NASA’s acting Administrator Janet Petro. “Thanks to President Trump’s directive, NASA and SpaceX expedited the schedule by a month. This international team and our ground crews embraced the challenge of an updated mission plan, demonstrating extraordinary teamwork and dedication to push the limits of human spaceflight.” Hague and Gorbunov launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sept. 28, 2024, docking with the station’s Harmony module the following day. Williams and Wilmore took off earlier, on June 5, aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, reaching the station on June 6. NASA later adjusted plans for Starliner’s return, integrating Williams and Wilmore into the station’s Expedition 71/72 crew, scheduling their return with Crew-9. The four astronauts undocked at 1:05 a.m. Tuesday to begin their journey home. During their mission, Williams and Wilmore traveled over 121 million miles, spending 286 days in space and completing 4,576 orbits of Earth. Hague and Gorbunov covered more than 72 million miles, with 171 days in space and 2,736 orbits. This marked Gorbunov’s first spaceflight, while Hague has now accumulated 374 days in space across two missions. Williams, with 608 days in space over three flights, and Wilmore, with 464 days from three missions, further solidified their experience in orbit. Crew-9 played a key role in scientific research, maintenance, and technology demonstrations. Williams performed two spacewalks—one with Hague and another with Wilmore—handling tasks like removing a radio frequency antenna, collecting samples from the station’s exterior, and repairing an X-ray telescope’s light filters. She now holds the record for the most spacewalking time by a female astronaut, logging 62 hours and 6 minutes outside the station, ranking fourth in total spacewalk duration overall. The American crew members contributed to over 150 experiments and technology tests, spending more than 900 hours on research. Their work included plant growth studies, stem cell research targeting blood diseases and cancers, circadian rhythm experiments, and deploying the first wooden satellite. They also examined microorganisms’ survival in space by collecting samples from the station’s outer structure.
