NASA 6i2r4b SpaceX Crew-9 Returns on Crew Dragon Freedom After 171 Days in Space

Crew Dragon Freedom returns Crew-9 astronauts to Earth after 171 days in space, landing in the Gulf of Mexico. 136856

Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 20 March 2025 21:48 IST

NASA, SpaceX Crew-9 Returns on Crew Dragon Freedom After 171 Days in Space

Photo Credit: NASA 6t6r3f

Crew-9 astronauts pose inside SpaceX Crew Dragon on the ISS

Highlights

Crew Dragon Freedom lands after 171 days, covering 72.5M miles
NASA, SpaceX mission includes astronauts Hague, Gorbunov, Williams, Wilmo
Gulf of Mexico designated as landing site for Crew-9 return

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SpaceX prepare for the return of Crew-9 astronauts aboard the Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft. The scheduled splashdown took place on March 18, at approximately 5:57 p.m. EDT in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Florida. The return mission includes four crew , two of whom originally arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing's Starliner. The return was initially planned for March 19 but was rescheduled due to weather concerns. The live coverage of the event will begin at 4:45 p.m. EDT (2045 GMT).

Crew-9's Journey and Returning Astronauts 5k476x

As per Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who reached the ISS aboard Boeing's Starliner on June 5, 2024. Due to technical difficulties encountered during Starliner's journey, the decision was made to return the astronauts aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon instead.

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Duration of the Mission and Final Landing Site i3x68

Crew Dragon Freedom will have spent 171 days in space by the time it lands. Hague and Gorbunov will have traveled approximately 72.5 million statute miles, completing 2,736 orbits around Earth. Williams and Wilmore will have spent 286 days in orbit, covering over 121 million statute miles. SpaceX and NASA have designated the Gulf of Mexico as the landing site. Future crew landings under NASA's commercial crew program are expected to take place in the Pacific Ocean.

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