NASA, SpaceX To Launch Crew-9 Mission Tonight, Set To Bring Sunita Williams Back After Extended ISS Stay

NASA and SpaceX will launch Crew-9 tonight to bring back stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were originally scheduled to return on Boeing's Starliner.

File Photo: Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams | SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon Endurance spacecraft atop, lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

Source : NASA

NASA and SpaceX are preparing for the launch of the Crew-9 mission on Saturday, September 28, at 10:47 PM IST from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States. The mission is particularly significant as it aims to bring back veteran astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS) after their extended stay due to technical issues with Boeing's Starliner, their initial transport vehicle.

The launch, initially scheduled for September 26, was postponed due to adverse weather conditions caused by Hurricane Helene, which affected the Gulf Coast of Florida. The mission is now set for tonight, at 1:17 PM ET from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral.

Crew-9 is the ninth crew rotation mission under SpaceX’s human space transportation system, marking its tenth flight with astronauts to the ISS, including the Demo-2 test flight. This mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, designed to transport astronauts to and from the space station safely.

NASA’s Flight Readiness Review confirmed that all systems are operational, ensuring the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are ready for the mission. 

NASA astronaut Nick Hague will command the Crew-9 mission, with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov serving as the mission specialist. The spacecraft will transport Hague and Gorbunov to the ISS, where they will undertake a five-month mission, conducting over 200 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations.

Crew-9 To Bring Back Sunita Williams And Butch Wilmore

In addition, the mission will bring back Williams and Wilmore, who were left stranded on the ISS after their Starliner capsule faced thruster malfunctions. The capsule was returned uncrewed on September 7 for further assessment, extending the astronauts' stay aboard the ISS since June.

The Crew-9 launch also marks a historic moment, being the first crewed launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex-40. Following the launch, Crew-9 is expected to dock with the ISS around 5:30 PM EDT (3:00 am Sunday IST), marking a critical moment in ensuring the safe return of Williams and Wilmore.

Wilmore and Williams, who launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June, will fly home with Hague and Gorbunov in February 2025, according to NASA.

"In February, Hague, Gorbunov, Wilmore, and Williams will climb aboard Dragon and autonomously undock, depart the space station, and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. After splashdown off Florida’s coast, a SpaceX recovery vessel will pick up the spacecraft and crew, who then will be helicoptered back to shore," NASA states.