Nasa astronauts return to Earth smiling after nine months stuck in space

Two Nasa astronauts who were stuck in space for the last nine months have finally returned home.

Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore left Earth in June 2024 on a test flight that was intended to last roughly nine days.

Their stay on the International Space Station was extended following issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft that raised concerns.

Williams and Wilmore returned in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft alongside Crew-9 mission members Nick Hague and Russian Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Footage shows the craft splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico as crews raced to greet them. All four smiled and waved as they were pulled from the capsule and taken away for medical examinations.