New Delhi, March 19 -- NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov safely returning to Earth in their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft early Wednesday. The SpaceX Crew-9 splashed down off the coast of Florida near Tallahassee.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, dubbed Freedom, completed its re-entry through Earth's atmosphere and deployed parachutes for a gentle splashdown at 5:57 PM (2157 GMT) on Tuesday (3.27 am IST) on Wednesday.

The spacecraft had endured temperatures as high as 3,500degF (2,000degC) during re-entry.

Ground teams erupted in cheers as the capsule bobbed on the calm waters beneath a sunny sky.

As fast boats reached the capsule to conduct initial safety checks, a recovery vesse...