Nasa and SpaceX are nearly finished with a news conference after the successful splashdown off the coast of Florida of SpaceX Crew-9, which brought Butch and Suni back home after nine unplanned months in space.

The pair did not attend the news conference but Nasa officials said they are doing well. Of course, they added, it would take some time to get used to gravity again and the two were being medically evaluated before being reunited with their families.

Butch and Suni waved and smiled as they emerged from the SpaceX Dragon, which splashed down off the coast of Florida - surrounded by curious dolphins.

They'd left Earth in June 2024 for an eight-day mission to test the Boeing Starliner capsule. Technical issues made the capsule unsafe, so the pair stayed at the International Space Station.

We are pausing today's live coverage, but you can read more about all the events today and Butch and Suni's time in space here.

Steve Stich, the manager of Nasa’s Commercial Crew program, thanks Boeing. It comes after the company's Starliner spacecraft malfunctioned and resulted in the two astronauts staying in space for months longer than intended.

“We’re super grateful for Boeing and their investment,” he said, adding that the issue highlights the need to have at least two vehicles in orbit.

He also said that Boeing is celebrating Suni and Butch's return with a watch party.

“They’re keenly interested in the landing today. They have a watch party going on, and are watching Butch and Suni come back,” he said.

He added that Nasa is “working hand in hand with Boeing as well on certification of Starliner, getting that vehicle back to flight”.

"The crew is doing great," says Steve Stich, the manager of Nasa's Commercial Crew Program

He says that they'll spend "some time" on the recovery ship before making their way back to Houston.

He goes on to praise his team for their "versatility" and thanks SpaceX, saying they were quick to adapt to Nasa's needs.

Once they are cleared medically, they'll be able to reunite with their families - typically after about a day. He added they do a de-brief on their time in space and will have some time off.

Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator of Nasa's Space Operations Mission Directorate says that Suni and Butch did 150 experiments and 900 hours of research during their stint on the ISS.

Montalbano says the work that Nasa astronauts do "benefits the nation" and increases the chance that Nasa will hit its goal of landing a person on Mars by the end of the decade.

Image source, NASA

Nasa has started to give an update after the successful splashdown of SpaceX Crew-9 off the coast of Florida. You can click watch live at the top of this page to follow along.

Steve Stich, manager of Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program, says the missions sometimes seem easier than they are, but there was a lot that went into this mission.

Rebecca Morelle
Science editor

Butch and Suni’s epic mission really does show us that space is hard.

Things can - and do - go wrong.

And when this happens, it can mean making some really tough decisions.

Opting to extend a mission from eight days to nine months was far from ideal for Nasa.

But Butch and Suni’s response - to adapt to a new situation and throw themselves into life on the space station - is part of being what an astronaut is all about.

To have a plan - and be prepared to change it.

Image source, NASA

In case you missed it, here's the look on the faces of Suni and Butch as they first emerged from the capsule.

Protocol dictates that they are assisted out of the craft, and put on a rolling stretcher, because of the shock of leaving the zero gravity environment of space.

Image source, NASA

A "Return-to-Earth" news conference is set to begin in about 20 minutes. But it doesn't seem like Suni or Butch will be there in person themselves.

Nasa says it will feature:

• Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
• Steve Stich, manager, Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program
• Bill Spetch, operations integration manager, Nasa’s International Space Station Program
• Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX

It was only a few hours ago that Butch and Suni said goodbye to the crew of the International Space Station, and boarded the SpaceX craft to bring them home after more than eight months.

The first major moment was when the parachutes deployed, slowing the capsule down from more than 17,000mph before splashdown.

As recovery crews prepared to receive the astronauts, dolphins were seen swimming around their capsule.

The capsule was then brought onboard the ship, where it was rinsed off with fresh water before it was opened.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Image source, NASA

The Nasa astronaut duo now known affectionally as Butch and Suni have just left the capsule, returning to Earth after a whopping 286 days in space.

Suni left first, followed by Butch were the last two travellers to leave.

As they departed the spacecraft, they were all smiles and waved repeatedly to the camera.

Image source, NASA

Image source, NASA

Commander of Crew 9 Nick Hague is the first astronaut to leave the Dragon capsule.

He gives the camera a smile, thumbs up and a wave.

Welcome back to Earth, Nick!

The crew are starting to leave the capsule.

Before they did, a camera filming the scene briefly poked into the ship, and the crew was seen waving.

We'll bring you images of them leaving the capsule in just a minute.

Image source, NASA

After spending about 17 hours hurtling through space in a tiny spacecraft, the astronauts are finally touching solid ground (well, the deck of a boat).

They are coming out of the capsule hatch now.

Watch it all live at the top of this page.

The side hatch is now open on the Dragon capsule and we are waiting for the first astronaut to pop out.

This will be their first breath of fresh air in a long time.

You can watch it all live at the top of this page.

Rebecca Morelle
Science editor

The amazing images that have been coming back really do show what the final moments are like for Butch and Suni and when that hatch is finally opened they will be taking a big gulp of air, the first fresh air for more than nine months.

The capsule has now been lifted out of the ocean and has been brought on board the recovery ship.

The name of the recovery vessel is Megan - named for Nasa astronaut Megan McArthur.

The ship's crew is now rinsing off the ship, to remove the corrosive salt water.

Image source, NASA

While we wait for the moment that Suni and Butch leave the Dragon capsule, a pod of inquisitive dolphins can be seen swimming around the vessel.

Nasa commentators joke they're an "honorary part of the recovery team".

Image source, NASA

Image source, NASA

A member of the safety team has attached some harnesses to the capsule. Those ropes will be used to pull the capsule to the safety vessel.

And a reminder you can watch this all happen live at the top of this page.

"It looked like an amazing re-entry and an amazing splashdown as well and thankfully as well it looks like the sea state is not too bad," British astronaut Tim Peake tells BBC News.

"These are four friends of mine so for us as astronauts the moment you see four healthy main parachutes then that is the moment you can breathe a sigh of relief because the splashdown is inevitable after that."

"That’s the moment where you can kind of think 'Great they are home safely' and there is a very emotional feeling."

Jaden Jennings, a spokeswoman for Nasa, is describing the scene from aboard the recovery vessel as it prepares to receive the astronauts.

"Splashdown was spectacular," she says, explaining that the ship she is on was stationed about 1.5 nautical miles away from the impact site.

She said she could spot "a little bit of a smoke trail" coming from the plummeting capsule before its parachutes deployed.

"We've had optimal conditions for splashdown," she says, describing the sunny, calm weather.