Welcome Home! Astronauts Return to Earth After 9 Months and Are Greeted by Adorable Dolphins!

After nine long months in space, you'd think the first thing astronauts would want to see upon landing would be their families—or at least a proper meal. Instead, they were welcomed back by dolphins! Which is somehow even better!

NASA and SpaceX's Crew-9 astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico (let's not tell them) on March 18, finally returning home after an extended stay on the International Space Station (ISS). But before they could even get out of their capsule, a pod of dolphins swam over, seemingly eager to check out the strange object that just fell from the sky.

Kate Tice, a SpaceX engineer, excitedly pointed them out during the live stream: "Wow! We got a cute little pod of dolphins, not just one or two!" And honestly? That's the kind of wholesome space news we need.

This moment capped off a dramatic journey for astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Aleksandr Gorbunov, who spent nearly nine months in space due to delays with Boeing's Starliner mission. But in the end, they got the best homecoming party ever—courtesy of Mother Nature.

Watch the surreal and heartwarming splashdown video below!