NASA’s Crew-9 astronauts have returned and are ready to share their journey

NASA has announced that after spending months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts have returned to Earth and are ready to share their remarkable journey.

On March 31, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. EDT, astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore will participate in a postflight news conference from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The trio, who landed back on Earth on March 18 alongside Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will provide detailed insights into the scientific achievements and experiences of their extended mission.

The Crew-9 mission was a remarkable demonstration of human endurance and scientific curiosity. Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov launched on September 28, 2024, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. They docked with the ISS the following day, embarking on a 171-day stay during which they traveled 72.5 million miles and completed 2,736 orbits around Earth.

Meanwhile, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore launched on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Their mission lasted 286 days, covering 121.3 million miles and 4,576 orbits. Following Starliner’s uncrewed return in August, NASA integrated them into the Crew-9 team.

Together, these astronauts conducted over 900 hours of research, completing more than 150 unique experiments. Their work included studying plant growth in microgravity, testing stem cell technology that could revolutionize healthcare on Earth, and investigating how the space environment affects material degradation. They also performed a spacewalk, collecting microbial samples from the ISS exterior to study life’s adaptability in space. Additionally, they hosted 30 ham radio sessions with students worldwide and participated in a student-led genetic experiment, inspiring the next generation of explorers.

The Crew-9 mission was not just about surviving in space, it was about pushing boundaries. The astronauts’ experiments provided critical data for NASA’s broader goals, such as future missions to the Moon and Mars. Studying plant growth in space could enable sustainable food production for long-duration missions, while stem cell research may lead to medical advancements on Earth. The microbial samples collected from the ISS exterior will help scientists understand how life adapts to space’s harsh conditions, a key question as humanity aims to settle on other planets.

Crew-9 exemplifies the success of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Through partnerships with private companies like SpaceX and Boeing, NASA has made travel to low Earth orbit safer, more reliable, and more accessible. This collaboration is reshaping the history of human spaceflight, opening the ISS to more researchers, commercial opportunities, and dreamers. As NASA advances toward deeper space exploration, the ISS remains a vital testing ground and missions like Crew-9 are laying the foundation for the future.

The upcoming news conference will offer a glimpse into life aboard the ISS. Hague, Williams, and Wilmore will answer questions about their mission, from the challenges of living in microgravity to the breathtaking views of Earth from 250 miles above. While Gorbunov will not attend due to travel commitments, the NASA trio will share a wealth of insights. Media can participate in person or virtually, and the public can watch live on NASA+ or engage on social media with #AskNASA.