'Honorary part of recovery team': When dolphins stopped by to welcome NASA-SpaceX crew after splashdown

Nasa astronauts Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Butch Wilmore splashed down near Tallahassee, Florida after nine months at the International Space Station in early morning hours (IST) on Wednesday. A simple eight-day mission to test the Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft morphed into an ordeal that forced Williams and Wilmore to stay in space for nine months. While there have been a lot of politics around the mission with NASA clearly staying away from giving any overt credit to either US President Donald Trump or SpaceX boss Elon Musk, the incredible moments as the Dragon capsule hit the water off the Florida coast made the mission truly historic.

This is amazing. Dolphins were in the gulf to welcome the NASA astronauts home after being rescued. pic.twitter.com/bsHPStq8rU
Brandi Churchwell (@BrandiNChurch) March 18, 2025

As the parachutes opened after the spacecraft made re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, rescue boats could be seen at a distance. After epic splashdown, the rescue boats were seen reaching the capsule bobbing in the water. Along with them, the astronauts were welcomed by some very inquisitive creatures. A pod of dolphins were seen swopping in and out of water near the capsule. They were seen at the site for quite some time before swimming away. NASA spokesperson called these dolphins ‘honorary part of the recovery team.’

Astronauts who were stuck in space for nine months splashing down in the Gulf of America and immediately being surrounded by a pack of dolphins is one of the coolest things Ive ever seen. pic.twitter.com/XqKauJtFzh Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 18, 2025

Several netizens also noticed the dolphins swimming around the capsule and the clip went viral on social media platforms. “Dolphins were in the gulf to welcome the NASA astronauts’ home after being rescued,” said podcaster Brandi Churchwell.

“Astronauts who were stuck in space for nine months splashing down in the Gulf of America and immediately being surrounded by a pack of dolphins is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,” said another netizen.

NASA has confirmed that the astronauts who are slowly and steadily getting acclimatised to the Earth’s atmosphere and gravity are ‘doing good.’