NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams touched down on Earth Tuesday, ending an unexpected nine-month stay in space that was originally planned as just a one-week mission.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying Wilmore, Williams, NASA astronaut Nick Hauge and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov landed in the Gulf of America near Tallahassee, Florida. SpaceX crews quickly recovered both the astronauts and the capsule.
The homecoming of the crew, known as Crew-9, followed NASA and SpaceX sending a replacement four-person team to the International Space Station (ISS) over the weekend.
Butch Wilmore has publicly credited his faith for sustaining him through an extended stay aboard the ISS.
Wilmore and Williams spent 286 days in orbit–nearly 41 weeks–far exceeding their planned week-long mission after arriving via Boeing’s Starliner in June 2023. Hauge and Gorbunov completed 171 days in space.
The extended mission has raised questions about compensation for the astronauts during their prolonged stay.
“When NASA astronauts are aboard the International Space Station, they receive regular, 40-hour work-week salaries. They do not receive overtime or holiday/weekend pay,” according to a NASA spokesperson, as reported by Fox News Business.
NASA astronaut salaries reached over $152,000 last year. While in space, astronauts receive transportation, lodging, and meals as they are “on official travel orders as federal employees,” the spokesperson explained.
They also receive a daily incidentals allowance of $5 per day while in space as part of long-term Temporary Duty status. For Wilmore and Williams, this would amount to approximately $1,430 for their 286-day mission.
The astronauts’ extended stay resulted from NASA and Boeing’s decision to return the Starliner spacecraft unmanned in early September. Fox reported that the agencies wanted to “continue gathering testing data” on the spacecraft while not “accepting more risk than necessary for its crew.” The Starliner had experienced “helium leaks” and “issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters” during its approach to the ISS in June.
During their time aboard the space station, which orbits approximately 250 miles above Earth, Wilmore, Williams, and Hauge conducted more than 900 hours of scientific research.
The unexpected extension of their mission represents one of the longest unplanned stays for American astronauts in space history. Despite the challenges, the crew maintained professional composure throughout their ordeal, continuing to perform essential maintenance tasks and scientific work aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Fox reported that NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro celebrated the crew’s return, stating, “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.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk commented on the homecoming during an interview with Sean Hannity: “I’m actually usually a little nervous about these returns because there’s always some risk that something could go wrong, but thanks to the excellent work of the SpaceX team working with NASA, the astronauts are now safely home.”
Musk congratulated both SpaceX and NASA teams on their “excellent work” and expressed a “huge note of appreciation to President Trump for prioritizing and expediting their return.”
Wilmore, who has never shied away from expressing his Christian beliefs, emphasized that his trust in God provided him with peace during the ordeal.
“It’s bound in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ he is working out his plan and his purposes for his glory throughout all of humanity and how that plays into our lives is significant and important,” Wilmore explained, per the Daily Mail.
His daughter told the outlet: “The Lord has given all of us a peace throughout all of this and we know it was his plan.”
