Pod of dolphins surround SpaceX capsule after stranded astronauts splash down in ocean

(Gray News) - It wasn’t just humankind that was eagerly anticipating the return of the two NASA astronauts who were stuck in space for more than nine months.

A pod of dolphins could be seen surrounding the SpaceX capsule moments after it splashed down into the ocean off the Florida coast near Tallahassee.

The SpaceX capsule that departed from the International Space Station on Tuesday morning contained a total of four astronauts, including Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

The two were supposed to be in space for about a week after launching aboard a Boeing spacecraft in June 2024, but the botched test flight and other delays that prevented a return kept the two astronauts circling Earth for over nine months.

Even as crews worked to prepare the capsule for the astronauts' departure on Tuesday afternoon, the dolphins circled the vessel as it bobbed in the water.