Video: Dolphins swim near SpaceX's Dragon capsule with Crew-9 inside, moments after splashdown
Dolphins greet Crew-9 capsule after it splash's down off Florida coast
A pod of dolphins circled the Dragon capsule after Crew-9 splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee.
A very Florida welcome home for NASA and SpaceX's Crew-9. Some curious dolphins seemingly wanted to give a personal "welcome home" to the Crew-9 astronauts, moments after they splashed down off the coast of Florida on Tuesday afternoon.
As the rescue teams surrounded SpaceX's Dragon capsule with NASA astronauts Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov inside, a small pod of dolphins was seen swimming around the area. You can watch that moment in the video player above.
When did Crew-9 splashdown in Florida?
Timeline:
Video: Crew-9 splashes down off Florida coast
NASA and SpaceX's Crew-9 mission successfully splashed down off the coast of Florida on Tuesday afternoon.
Crew-9 splashed down off the coast of Florida at 5:57 p.m. on Tuesday, roughly 17 hours after undocking from the International Space Station.
- 11:05 p.m. Monday: Hatch closed between SpaceX's Dragon and International Space Station
- 1:05 a.m. Tuesday: SpaceX's Dragon capsule officially undocks from the International Space Station. It's roughly a 17-hour flight back to Earth, SpaceX said.
- 5:57 p.m. Tuesday: SpaceX's Dragon splashes down off the coast of Florida, near Tallahassee.
- ~ 6:50 p.m Tuesday: Dragon's hatch is opened and Crew-9 exit the capsule.
How long were the astronauts in space?
According to NASA, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov arrived to the International Space Station since Sept. 29, 2024. That means both spent 171 days in space on this latest mission.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived on June 6, 2024, marking 286 days aboard the ISS.
First look: Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore exit SpaceX's Dragon capsule
Suni and Butch return home to Earth
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have returned to Earth after over 250 days in space.
The Source: The information and visuals in this article come from NASA and SpaceX's live coverage of Crew-9's undocking from the ISS and splashdown in Florida, as well as mission updates shared on NASA, SpaceX, and Boeing Starliner's websites.