Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were stranded at the International Space Station for nine months after they were forced to abandon Boeing Starliner due to thruster issues, are finally back on Earth after a successful splashdown Tuesday at 5:57 p.

Butch Wilmore and Needham native Suni Williams bid farewell to the International Space Station — their home since last spring — departing aboard a SpaceX capsule alongside two other astronauts. The capsule undocked shortly after 1 a.m. Eastern and aimed for a splashdown off the Florida coast around 6 p.m. Eastern, weather permitting.