NASA Space Technology
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission is due to liftoff on Saturday, sending two astronauts zooming toward the International Space Station, with the hopes of returning two more astronauts stuck in space.
The astronauts aboard the Dragon capsule—NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—are scheduled to be launched into space using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:17 p.m. ET.
The Dragon spacecraft will remain docked at the ISS for five months until it returns with the Crew-9 astronauts, as well as Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the NASA astronauts who flew to the station in June aboard the malfunctioning Boeing Starliner and have been stranded in space ever since.
“Crew-9 is the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. They will spend about five months at the orbiting laboratory conducting experiments, research demonstrations, and spacewalks to perform maintenance on the space station,” NASA said in a blog post.
Usually, the Dragon carries four astronauts up to the ISS, however, two spaces were left empty to return Williams and Wilmore from the station, as the Starliner has now returned to Earth without the astronauts.
Boeing’s Starliner experienced multiple issues during its mission to the ISS in June, including propulsion system problems and helium leaks. While the spacecraft managed to dock with the ISS, these technical difficulties raised concerns about the safety and reliability of the return journey for the astronauts.
The Starliner remained docked at the ISS until it was decided to return it to Earth without the astronauts on board in early September, leaving Williams and Wilmore effectively stranded on the station.
The Crew-9 mission was originally slated for launch in August, but was delayed until NASA and Boeing officials figured out what to do about Starliner and the astronauts. The launch was then scheduled for September 26, but was pushed back once again due to Hurricane Helene making landfall that evening.
“NASA and SpaceX teams have adjusted the next launch opportunity for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to no earlier than 1:17 p.m. EDT, Saturday, Sept. 28, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida due to expected tropical storm conditions in the area,” NASA said.
NASA will livestream the launch and the arrival of the Dragon at the ISS. The Crew-9 astronauts will relieve the Crew-8 team, who have been on the ISS since March, and will return aboard the Dragon capsule they flew up in.
Hague, Gorbunov, Williams and Wilmore will return to Earth in February next year.
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