KEY POINTS
- The Crew-9 mission has safely undocked from the ISS and is on its way to Earth, NASA confirmed early Tuesday
- Wilmore and Williams have been stranded in orbit for nine months after what was supposed to be a week-long space mission
- SpaceX said the Dragon spacecraft was expected to splash down on Earth in about 17 hours
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is getting a lot of praise on X as NASA confirmed early Tuesday that the spacecraft carrying astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams has successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), meaning “Butch and Suni” are officially on their way home to Earth.
What was supposed to be a week-long stay in space last year became a nine-month stint for the two NASA astronauts; however, late Monday, they finally boarded a SpaceX Crew Dragon to return home.
Crew-9 mission undocks from ISS
NASA announced the departure of the Crew-9 mission from the ISS early Tuesday. The Crew-9 mission includes Wilmore, Williams, Nick Hague, another NASA expert, and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov of Russian space agency Roscosmos.
The U.S.’ space agency published a video of the SpaceX Dragon undocking from the ISS at exactly 1:05 a.m. ET on X, writing, “They’re on their way!”
What happened to “Butch” and “Suni”?
Wilmore and Williams journeyed to space in June and were supposed to stay up there for around eight days, but their original ride, a Boeing Starliner spacecraft, malfunctioned on the way.
NASA ruled that the Starliner was unsafe to be boarded by humans, leaving “Butch” and “Suni” in orbit while the spacecraft returned home, uncrewed.
The astronauts’ extended stay in space has garnered much attention from the American public as politics crept in and President Donald Trump accused the previous administration of “abandoning” Wilmore and Williams.
Trump vowed to bring Wilmore and “the woman with the wild hair” back home, saying he discussed the matter with Musk, following which the tech billionaire committed to helping them return home.
X users praise SpaceX
Musk’s space company has also seen much interest from X users in recent days amid anticipation for the stranded astronauts’ journey back home.
“Great to see American ingenuity and private enterprise like SpaceX leading the way in space exploration. NASA and SpaceX are a perfect example of what can be achieved when government and private sector work together,” said one user.
Another user said SpaceX is “the safest company” for humans and cargo flying to space and the Dragon “remains the only spacecraft that can bring back cargo from the space station.”
Let’s b honest. Crew9 returning to Earth will be a big deal. What will @SpaceX do next?
— TheCommonVoice (@TheWorldVoices) March 18, 2025
One user reiterated that if the Crew-9 mission safely lands on Earth, it “will be a big deal.”
Meanwhile, SpaceX said it was expecting the Dragon spacecraft carrying Wilmore, Williams, Hague, and Gorbunov to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and splash down in more or less 17 hours.
