Before + After Space (PHOTOS)

Two astronauts who had been stranded on the International Space Station since last summer have finally returned to Earth after their initial week-long mission went awry.

Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore were stuck in space for nine months longer than their original mission.

Thanks to their unique situation, the media and the public have been following along on the astronauts’ journey.

Here’s a look at how things have changed for the astronauts from summer 2024 to now in early 2025.

Suni Williams Before (June 2024)

Butch Wilmore Before (June 2024)

Williams and Wilmore took flight on the new Boeing Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024.

Their mission was planned as a test mission through NASA’s commercial crew program, which is designed to ferry astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station.

Williams and Wilmore’s mission marked the first time the Starliner hosted a human crew on board.

READ MORE: How the Stranded Astronauts Celebrated Christmas in Space

However, the ship quickly encountered multiple issues, including helium leaks and thruster malfunctions, according to NPR.

Since NASA didn’t want to risk the astronauts’ safety by flying them home on the faulty craft, they were left at the space station until replacements could arrive.

During their time aboard the ISS, the pair conducted experiments and spacewalks as part of the space station crew.

Their replacements—a Japanese astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut—inally arrived on the ISS after nine months on Sunday morning (March 16).

Williams and Wilmore then returned to Earth via the SpaceX Dragon capsule, arriving off the Gulf coast of Florida Tuesday evening (March 18).

Suni Williams After (March 2025)

Butch Wilmore After (March 2025)

Despite their lengthy journey to get back to Earth, the astronauts seem to be in good spirits, flashing smiles as they were carted off on stretchers.

“What a ride. I see a capsule full of grins, ear to ear,” NASA astronaut Nick Hague, who accompanied the astronauts on the SpaceX capsule, said moments after splashing into the Gulf of Mexico waters, per Reuters.

Williams and Wilmore were wheeled off the spacecraft on stretchers, a standard practice for NASA astronauts, according to E! News.

The protocol is due to the change in gravity, especially for Williams and Wilmore, who have been away for nine months.

“I’ve been up here long enough right now I’ve been trying to remember what it’s like to walk. I haven’t walked. I haven’t sat down. I haven’t laid down. You don’t have to. You can just close your eyes and float where you are right here,” Williams told students at her former high school in January, according to WBZ-TV.

The astronauts were then flown on a NASA plane to crew quarters at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for further evaluation before they will be cleared to go home to their families.