The SpaceX Dragon crew got an unexpected and heartwarming welcome after safely returning to Earth from an extended mission in space.
A pod of dolphins greeted the crew as their capsule splashed down off the coast of Florida on Tuesday, March 18.
The Dragon capsule carried four astronauts, including NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who spent an unplanned 280 days on the International Space Station due to issues with the Boeing Starliner during their first crewed test flight in June 2024.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center shared a video of the dolphins swimming near the capsule, calling them the “unplanned welcome crew” in a social media post.
The clip quickly gained attention, racking up over 2.5 million views by Thursday, March 19.
“Crew-9 had some surprise visitors after splashing down this afternoon,” the post said, adding a dolphin emoji.
Fans were quick to share their excitement in the comments. “Very smart creatures welcoming home Crew-9 in their way,” one person wrote with heart and American flag emojis.
“Was amazing to watch live with my children this morning. Incredible task and accomplishments through adversity.
Then to be blessed by these majestical beauties is something else,” another user commented with a string of emojis.
“The drone footage of the splashdown and recovery was AMAZING. And the weather couldn’t have been better,” someone else added.
In the video, the dolphins can be seen swimming around the fast boat team in the clear blue waters off the Florida coast, creating a magical moment for the returning crew.
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