It was a homecoming that had everyone—humans and dolphins alike—flipping with excitement.
A pod of dolphins eagerly swam toward the splashdown site of the SpaceX Dragon capsule on Tuesday off Florida’s coast. On board were four astronauts, including NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, returning from an unexpected 280-day stay on the International Space Station due to issues with the Boeing Starliner during its first crewed test flight last June.
The dolphins’ enthusiastic presence near the capsule quickly stole the hearts of social media users. NASA’s Johnson Space Center shared a video on X, dubbing the playful marine visitors “the unplanned welcome crew!”
“Crew-9 had some unexpected guests after splashing down this afternoon,” the space center shared, wrapping up the post with a dolphin emoji.
Within hours, the video racked up 1.8 million views and drew hundreds of comments.
A Dolphin Welcome Crew
As the fast boat team worked to secure the capsule, a pod of dolphins appeared, playfully swimming around them in the calm, brilliant blue waters.
Dolphins are a common sight in the Gulf of America—formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico, a name changed by President Donald Trump. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Gulf is home to nine different dolphin species.
The bottlenose dolphin is the most common species and the only one found in all Gulf coastal habitats.
Other species include the Atlantic spotted dolphin and the Risso’s dolphin.
