Mission Accomplished: 'Thrilled' Crew-10 Astronaut Aboard ISS Captures Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore Splashdown Moment

NASA astronaut Anne McClain, who led its SpaceX Crew-10 mission to bring stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore home, on Wednesday reacted to the successful and seamless splashdown of Dragon Freedom spacecraft off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, in the Gulf of America. 

While live tracking his collegeague's journey back home from aboard International Space Station, McClaim captured the historic splashdown moment. Sharing the picture on X, the NASA astronaut expressed his excitement and wrote, "This morning we shared coffee and 'good mornings' with Crew-9, and tonight we are absolutely thrilled to see them safely back on Earth! Mission accomplished, Crew-9!"

Picture-perfect Splashdown

The SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico in the early morning hours IST, nearly 17 hours after getting dedocked from the International Space Station. It splashed down in waters off the coast of the Florida marking the end of the end of a nine-month-long ordeal. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore spent 282 days in the space, as a part of the mission that was initially planned for only 8 days. All four astronauts will now undergo a 45-day rehabilitation programme to adjust to the Earth's gravity. 

'We Are Thrilled To Have Suni, Butch, Nick, & Aleksandr Home': NASA

The NASA shared an emotional message thanking the Crew-9 members' months-long mission conducting vital science, technology demonstrations, and maintenance aboard the International Space Station. 
NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro said, “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.”

Factors That Helped The Seamless Journey Back Home

During the press conference after the successful landing of Crew-9 astronauts on Earth, NASA opened up about the factors that made Dragon's landing smooth. "The landing that you guys witnessed today there are a number of things to look at, a number of factors and weather being one of them. You saw great weather today," it said.

NASA mentioned how readiness of the recovery team, the handover time on orbit between the incoming crew and the departing crew to make sure there is enough time for activities to be accomplished before the departing crew leaves are among the crucial factors. 

Watch The Historic Splashdown