Crew 9 and Starliner Mission Concludes

Kennedy Space Center, FL. – Splashdown! In a story that has been months in the making, the Starliner / Crew 9 mission has ended. With a successful undocking from the International Space Station (I.S.S.), Crew Dragon “Freedom” made a perfect splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico (America) South of Tallahassee, Florida. Splashdown came at 5:57 PM EDT bringing back Crew 9. 

Crew 9 Image Credit:  Michael Howard - We Report Space

The modified Crew 9 made up of just two crew were NASA Astronaut and Commander Nick Hague and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov as Mission Specialist. Crew 9 launched back on September 18, 2024 with two empty seats to allow the return of the Starliner Astronauts that had to remain on the I.S.S. when the Starliner capsule was returned to Earth empty over safety concerns. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were to spend only 8 days on the I.S.S. which became duration of 286 days. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams became part of the Crew 9 mission and part of the crew rotation schedule. At no time were these two astronauts ever “stranded” on the station.

Starliner Crew Image Credit:  Michael Howard - We Report Space

Of note, Williams and Wilmore have a unique distinction of having traveled to space on four different spacecraft. They are: the Space Shuttle, the Russian Soyuz, the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the Boeing Starliner. When Crew 10 launched earlier this past week and arrived aboard Crew Dragon Endurance, the rotation process began to allow Crew 9 to return to Earth. A homecoming for some a real reason to celebrate.

In a earlier statement from NASA: "I would bet they might have some mixed emotions for leaving. Because you know, every time you get to go to space — which is what all astronauts want to do — you never know. It might be your last time, because you might not be selected for another mission or whatever," NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro said during Friday's Crew-10 webcast. "So I'd bet they have mixed emotions leaving their colleagues up there at the space station. I'm sure they're anxious to get home and put their feet on Earth and spend time with their family," Petro said.

Under incredible Florida skies, the Crew Dragon under a canopy of white and orange parachutes floated to the water’s surface and was greeted by a pod of very curious dolphins as if they were trying to say welcome home.

In a statement from NASA after the successful crew return: “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,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “Per President Trump’s direction, NASA and SpaceX worked diligently to pull the schedule a month earlier. 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.”

While the future of Starliner remains unknown, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be taking time to adjust to gravity and spend time with family and friends along with the rest of the Crew 9 members.

Story By:

Michael Howard – We Report Space

Images By:

Michael Howard, Michael Seeley and Graham Smith – We Report Space