Space

After 286 days in space, two American astronauts who've been stuck on the International Space Station since last spring are finally back down on Earth.

Butch Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams splashed down softly off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida today at about 5:58 PM ET, following a 19-hour journey in a SpaceX spacecraft, alongside astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov.

It was a smooth arrival back to Planet Earth, with Dragon Freedom’s Crew-9 parachutes deploying 6,000 feet in the air, and the control room erupting in cheers as they splashed down into the water.

The two American astronauts who've been stranded since last spring on the International Space Station are finally coming back to Earth.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams left the ISS on Tuesday and are now traveling in a SpaceX spacecraft alongside two other astronauts. NASA says the four-person crew is scheduled to touch down on Earth later this evening, with the trip expected to take around 19 hours.

A relief crew arrived at the ISS on Sunday, allowing Butch and Suni to head home. NASA moved up their return by a day to avoid some unfavorable weather later in the week.

Lauren Sanchez says the ladies going to space with her will be able to inspire the world with their experiences ... 'cause they are all storytellers who can share the profound impact back on Earth.

The former entertainment reporter shared a little behind-the-scenes clip of her first meeting with pop star Katy Perry, journalist and host Gayle King, NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil-rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn ... the first all-female heading to the edge of space in a Blue Origin rocket this spring.

Sanchez says this group was chosen because they're all storytellers ... who can share their experience with people and inspire the next generation of trailblazers.

SpaceX's Starship didn't have a very efficient launch ... 'cause instead of staying in one piece in space, the whole thing came apart -- and, it's now raining down on the Bahamas.

The ship -- which took off for it's 8th test launch Thursday -- made it into space ... but, the SpaceX crew then lost "attitude control of the ship" and only two of the ship's six engines were functioning properly.

The ground crew then lost contact with the ship ... and, many only saw it again when its fiery debris came raining down from the sky.

Who says women can’t break the glass ceiling? Gayle King's smashing through and heading straight to the stars, 'cause she's joining a bunch of trailblazing women making their way into space.

Gayle just announced she’s part of the historic all-woman crew for Blue Origin’s next flight to the edge of space -- set to launch this spring.

Gayle explained she initially turned it down, but she admits that if the crew nailed the mission and she wasn’t there, she’d be kicking herself. Now, she’s gonna be along for the ride!

Donald Trump's plans for his 2nd term are out of this world ... with the returning commander-in-chief announcing a new Mars mission during his inaugural address.

Check it out ... while addressing the nation inside the U.S. Capitol Building Monday, Trump declares his goal to plant a U.S. flag on the 4th planet from the Sun ... in order to be seen as "a growing nation" again.

He adds ... "We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars."

Elon Musk is going all Russell Crowe in response to an explosion during his latest rocket launch ... he says the fireball in the sky was entertaining as hell!!!

The billionaire is shrugging off yet another explosion during a test launch for Starship, the biggest rocket ever made.

SpaceX's launch from the Texas coast Thursday saw the Starship capsule explode ... making the rocket look like a meteor shower.

An OnlyFans model in Germany wants to make history with Elon Musk ... by giving birth to the first baby on Mars.

Elsa Thora tells TMZ ... she wants to get knocked up by Elon and pop out their child on the Red Planet.

The social media influencer and OF model is dead serious here ... she says this isn't about clout ... she truly believes the Earth is dying and Elon is going to save humanity by colonizing Mars.

Elon Musk treated Donald Trump to quite the show Tuesday ... as SpaceX's Starship megarocket blasted off into space in an attempt to make a perfect landing back on the launchpad ... though they both had to settle for saltwater splash-downs.

The biggest rocket ever made launched from the company's Starbase launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas for Starship Flight 6 ... in a test to see if both stages of the spacecraft -- the Super Heavy booster and the Starship capsule -- would return safely back to Earth ... and Trump had a front-row seat.

After blasting off and travelling into space, the Super Heavy booster essentially flew in reverse back to Earth -- it was supposed to be "grabbed" by the launch and catch tower's "chopstick" arms, but it instead landed in the Gulf of Mexico. A couple minutes into the mission, SpaceX had announced a "no go" for the attempted booster catch. The booster was meant to be reusable, but won't be since it landed in saltwater, which it's not designed to withstand.

Buzz Aldrin says he's voting for Donald Trump for president ... and the famous former astronaut says space exploration is playing a big part in his endorsement.

Buzz, the second man to walk on the moon, says Trump deserves a second term because DT places high importance on space exploration ... praising his first administration for reigniting national efforts to get back to the moon and to travel to Mars.

In a lengthy statement Wednesday explaining his pick for president, Aldrin says he's a big fan of the U.S. Space Force, which was created during Trump's first term ... Buzz says the Space Force is "increasingly important as space becomes a contested domain." BA also applauded Trump for reinstating the National Space Council when he was in office.

This is just astoundingly cool ... SpaceX's Starship megarocket -- the world's most powerful rocket that will take NASA back to the moon -- just flew in reverse, essentially, making a perfect landing back on the launch pad.

The biggest rocket ever made blasted off Sunday morning from Southern Texas for Starship Flight 5, attempting to have both stages of the spacecraft -- the Super Heavy booster and Starship capsule -- return safely back to Earth ... and it was downright incredible to see.

Minutes after the successful launch, spectators and SpaceX engineers cheered and watched in amazement as the Super Heavy booster came back down ... and the launch pad's "chopstick" arms caught it cleanly, holding it safely above the pad ... in one reusable piece.

Elon Musk needs a close encounter before he's ready to say aliens have visited Earth ... arguing UFOs are probably classified government technology, not evidence of extraterrestrial life.

The controversial tech billionaire sat down for an interview with Tucker Carlson, posted to X, this week ... and, the two got right down to all the UFOs people have filmed recently -- and, while Elon says he knows the unidentified flying objects are real, he's still yet to see an alien body.

EM says SpaceX alone has around 6,000 satellites out in space ... and, he says they've never had to move out of Marvin the Martian's way. Basically, if aliens exist ... where are they?

9:44 AM PT -- SpaceX's Dragon is up and away ... having just detached from the rocket. Crew-9 is expected to reach the International Space Station tomorrow -- and, should return with Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams early next year. Good luck!

A SpaceX mission is set to blast off Saturday with a crucial mission ... to help retrieve 2 American astronauts stranded for months on the International Space Station ... but it's still going to be a while before they're back on Earth.

The launch of SpaceX’s Dragon -- piloted by NASA's Crew-9 is scheduled for 1:17 PM ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida ... but weather delays might be a snag given the deadly Hurricane Helene just battered a portion of the state.

Former astronaut Mike Massimino believes all Americans should exercise their right to vote this November ... especially if his peers stuck in space can pull it off.

We caught up with the former NASA employee in NYC, where he weighed in on Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams' plans to vote on Election Day via absentee ballots. As Mike put it, Butch and Suni's situation shouldn't exempt them from their civic duty ... praising the astronauts for setting a "good example."

He noted ... "Everyone should be voting. I'm glad they'll be voting ... Look, if my friends can do it from space then all the rest of us here can certainly do it on Planet Earth."

People who hate on mail-in ballots are going to be howling at the moon after this one ... 'cause a couple astronauts are casting their votes from the International Space Station.

Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams -- the 2 astronauts who went up to space on the Boeing Starliner, and who are now stuck after safety concerns with their craft arose -- spoke with reporters Friday ... and, they say they still plan on voting.

Wilmore says he sent his request for a ballot down to Earth Friday ... adding that NASA helps all its astronauts secure ballots. Both astronauts touched on how they feel it's their civic duty to cast their votes come the first Tuesday in November.