'Stranded' NASA astronauts return

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.

Home at last: After an unexpected nine-month stay in space, a pair of NASA astronauts finally returned to Earth on March 18, concluding a mission that captured global attention and became a political flashpoint.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship carrying Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — alongside fellow American Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov — streaked through the atmosphere before deploying parachutes for a gentle splashdown off the Florida coast at 5:57 pm (2157 GMT).

Ground teams erupted in cheers as the gumdrop-shaped spacecraft named Freedom, charred from withstanding scorching temperatures of 2,000 degrees Celsius during re-entry, bobbed steadily on the waves beneath a clear, sunny sky.

"What a ride, I see a capsule full of grins," said Hague.

As fast boats raced to the capsule for initial safety checks -- an unlikely escort arrived in the form of a playful pod of dolphins.

Soon after, a larger recovery vessel hoisted Freedom aboard. Teams opened the hatch, and one by one, the astronauts were helped out onto mobility aids, waving and flashing thumbs-up signs.

Next, they were set to be flown by helicopter to Houston to meet their families in another day or two, and begin a physical rehabilitation program.

"Promise made, promise kept," the White House posted on X, repeating a contentious claim that President Donald Trump's administration had accelerated the recovery timeline.

The quartet left the International Space Station early on March 17, beginning their 17-hour journey home after final farewells and hugs with the remaining crew.

Wilmore and Williams, both ex-Navy pilots and veterans of two prior space missions, flew to the orbital lab in June last year, on what was supposed to be a days-long roundtrip to test out Boeing's Starliner on its first crewed flight.