Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore created history and left an inspiring legacy in space exploration.

He also wished them good health and more achievements ahead.

"Astronauts @Astro_Suni and Butch Wilmore of @NASA make history by returning home after a remarkable 9-month stay at the International Space Station. Their extended mission, shaped by technical challenges, has left an inspiring legacy in space exploration. Wishing them good health and many more achievements ahead," the CM said in his 'X' handle.

Stuck in space no more, Wilmore and Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday, hitching a different ride home to close out a saga that began with a bungled test flight more than nine months ago. Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico in the early evening, just hours after departing the International Space Station.

Splashdown occurred off the coast of Tallahassee in the Florida Panhandle, bringing their unplanned odyssey to an end.

Within an hour, the astronauts were out of their capsule, waving and smiling at the cameras while being hustled away in reclining stretchers for routine medical checks.