Summary

  • Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are back on Earth after spending nine unplanned months in space

  • The pair waved and smiled as they emerged from the SpaceX Dragon, which splashed down off the coast of Florida

  • A pod of dolphins inspected Suni and Butch's capsule as it bobbed in the ocean, waiting to be pulled aboard a rescue ship

  • Suni and Butch left Earth in June 2024 for an eight-day mission to test Boeing Starliner's capsule

  • But the capsule suffered technical issues, so Nasa decided to keep them on the ISS and return the Starliner to Earth empty

  • It was a fast and fiery re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere for the Space X capsule - science editor Rebecca Morelle explains how it works

Watch: Dolphins surround Dragon capsule after successful splashdown

Live Reporting

Edited by Brandon Livesay and Christal Hayes

  1. 284, 285, 286… Blast off!

    After a staggering 286 days in space, Nasa astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are coming home.

    The pair became stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2024 after technical issues appeared on the Boeing spacecraft that launched them there and it was deemed too risky for them to be aboard when it returned to Earth.

    At this very moment, the pair are boarding a SpaceX craft, which is due to undock from the ISS and begin its journey to Earth shortly.

    Watch along as we follow their journey back to their families live.