NASA astronauts seen on Earth for first time in nine months following successful return mission

NASA astronauts Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore have taken their first steps back on Earth.

The pair were forced to stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months, after technical issues to their spacecraft meant that their eight-day mission was extended indefinitely.

Williams and Wilmore were joined in the SpaceX Crew Dragon space capsule by NASA’s Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov as they splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, USA, following a 17-hour journey.

After nine long months, Suni Williams was full of waves and had a huge grin across her face, while Wilmore looked relived to be back home.

They were made to wait almost an hour before being allowed out of the capsule though, as extensive safety checks were carried out on the capsule.

The capsule experienced a smooth and successful re-entry, parachute deployment, and splashdown.

It was the first time that the two astronauts would experience a breath of fresh air in over nine months.

Several health and safety measures were taken to ensure that those onboard weren't shocked by conditions on our planet, as a protective screen was inserted after the capsule's hatch was opened.

Personalised foot rests were also placed in front of the astronauts to ease them back into the gravity experience, with all four astronauts smiling and waving at the camera when filmed for the first time.

The spacecraft experienced a smooth re-entry (Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images)

Thousands watched on as NASA streamed the Space-9 Crew's re-entry to Earth, and the Crew Dragon spacecraft's subsequent splash down took place off the eastern coast of the US, at 21:58 GMT.

After docking at the ISS in June 2024, the capsule was sent back to Earth unmanned, without a set date for the astronauts' return.

After several delays, 12 March was set for their return mission to launch, in a joint venture between NASA and SpaceX.

The pair have remained adamant throughout their stay on the ISS that they weren't 'stranded', but that there was a reason behind their delayed return.

NASA's Associate Administrator Ken Bowersox explained in a teleconference last Friday: “The SpaceX folks helped us with a lot of options for how we would bring Butch and Suni home on Dragon in a contingency.”

Eight days would eventually turn into nine months (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

He further revealed there were 'always options' when it came to adding missions or bringing a capsule back earlier then planned.

Bowersox added: “But we ruled them out pretty quickly just based on how much money we've got in our budget, and the importance of keeping crews on the International Space Station.

“They're an important part of maintaining the station,” he said.