SpaceX’s Staff-9 astronauts had some corporate within the water when they splashed down on Tuesday afternoon (March 18).The Staff-9 venture returned to Earth at 5:57 p.m. EDT (2157 GMT) on Tuesday, splashing down within the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida. A fleet of restoration vessels quickly converged on Staff-9’s Dragon tablet, named Freedom — and so did some curious marine mammals, who sought after to take a look at this bizarre object that fell from the sky into their area.”Wow! We were given a lovely little pod of dolphins, now not only one or two,” SpaceX engineer Kate Tice stated all through the NASA-SpaceX webcast of Staff-9’s access, descent and touchdown.
Dolphins swim close to the SpaceX Staff-9 tablet Freedom in a while after it splashed down on March 18, 2025. The individual on Freedom’s outdoor is a member of the SpaceX restoration crew. (Symbol credit score: NASA)Freedom carried 4 other folks — NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore and Aleksandr Gorbunov of the Russian house company Roscosmos — house from the World Area Station (ISS).Hague and Gorbunov rode as much as the station aboard Freedom in overdue September, at the release of SpaceX’s Staff-9 venture. Williams and Wilmore, then again, reached the ISS at the first crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner tablet, which lifted off in early June.Comparable: How NASA’s Starliner venture went from 10 days to 9 months: A timelineThe Starliner venture used to be meant to ultimate simply 10 days or so, however the tablet skilled problems with its propulsion machine, delaying its departure from the ISS more than one occasions.Breaking house information, the most recent updates on rocket launches, skywatching occasions and extra!In spite of everything, on Aug. 24, NASA determined to carry Starliner house uncrewed, which came about on Sept. 7, and put Williams and Wilmore on Freedom for the go back and forth again house on the finish of Staff-9’s orbital keep. That call required taking two other folks off the unique Staff-9 manifest (NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson) to save lots of seats for the Starliner duo at the go back to Earth. So Freedom lifted off ultimate fall with best Hague and Gorbunov on board.
Any other shot of Freedom on March 18, with dolphins and restoration vessels close by. (Symbol credit score: NASA)Staff-9’s splashdown used to be memorable and dramatic even prior to the dolphins confirmed up. It introduced an finish to the lengthy house saga of Wilmore and Williams, which used to be a large tale from the outset however become turbo-charged not too long ago.The additional consideration got here courtesy of President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who claimed that the Biden management had “nearly deserted” the Starliner duo in house. Musk additional alleged that this used to be completed “for political causes.” The assertions had been puzzling, for the reason that the plan to carry Williams and Wilmore house by means of SpaceX were in position since August of ultimate 12 months.Staff-9’s go back additionally marked the ultimate time {that a} Dragon tablet will hit the water close to the U.S. East Coast; SpaceX is shifting its Dragon restoration operations to the West Coast, to scale back the probabilities that particles from the reentering tablet may just motive injury or accidents at the flooring.”I simply hope the California coast can carry as many dolphins as we noticed all through lately’s operation,” Sarah Walker, SpaceX’s director of Dragon venture control, stated all through a post-splashdown press convention on Tuesday. “That used to be truly a laugh to peer!”
