California [US], March 19 (ANI): NASA Crew-9 astronauts Sunita Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov breathed earthly air for the first time in over nine months on Wednesday after the successful splashdown of SpaceX's Dragon capsule.

The astronauts disembarked the capsule on stretchers, as is customary, CNN reported. This precaution is taken by SpaceX for all astronauts returning from long-duration space missions.

Earlier, a worker rinsed the Crew Dragon spacecraft with fresh water to remove as much salt water as possible.

'Saltwater is corrosive, and we want to try and rinse out as much of the salt water as possible to reduce that corrosion on the metallic structures,' SpaceX's Kate Tice said.

The side hatch of the Crew Dragon remains closed throughout its time in orbit. After docking with the ISS, astronauts enter and exit through a different hatch on top of the vehicle, CNN reported.

SpaceX's recovery ship, Megan, used a large rig to lift the capsule carrying the four astronauts out of the water. Nearby crew members closely monitored the spacecraft to ensure there were no fuel leaks.

As the capsule splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, several dolphins were seen swimming around it, welcoming the astronauts home. At least five dolphins were captured on video circling the capsule as it bobbed in the water, CNN reported. Boats in the area assisted in stabilizing the capsule and ensuring the astronauts' safety.

NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov have been in space since September 2024. However, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams had been away much longer--their journey began last June. Initially expected to last just a week, their mission was extended to more than nine months due to issues with their Boeing Starliner capsule, which delayed their return.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier stated that US President Donald Trump had fulfilled his promise to bring home the 'forgotten' astronauts.

https://x.com/PressSec/status/1902082024845746319

'President Trump promised to look out for the forgotten man and woman. At 5:57 PM ET tonight -- promise made, promise kept!' she said in a post on X. (ANI)