Shristy Kamal, Pune
On Friday, SpaceX and NASA reported that they are set to launch the much-awaited Crew-9 mission from Space Launch complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The main aim of the mission is to bring back veteran astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS). They were scheduled to return earlier but have been stranded in space due to Boeing’s Starliner Capsules delays.
According to NASA, takeoff is reported for 1:17 pm EDT. It marks the first human spaceflight mission to be launched from the pad. The docking time of the spaceflight is September 29, Sunday, 5:30 pm. The delays with Starliner were reportedly because of technical difficulties caused by Starliner’s thrusters which further extended their stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Originally planned for September 26, the Crew-9 mission was subsequently delayed due to severe weather conditions in the Gulf Coast of Florida, caused by Hurricane Helene. NASA’s flight review team affirmed that the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft systems are ready and prepared for launch. The flight was about to have a crew of four people but two astronauts, Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were removed by NASA to make space for Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore.
NASA Astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will be carried in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for a five-month science mission to the orbiting laboratory. Over 200 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations essential for the future of space exploration will be conducted aboard the ISS in their presence. Their work will contribute to the development of technologies for upcoming missions and advance knowledge in fields like space biology and human health. This marks the ninth crew rotation mission and NASA’s tenth human spaceflight mission. It is a part of their commercial crew program.
Ken Bowersox, NASA’s associate administrator for space operations said in a conference on Friday that they are going to find spots for Cardman and Wilson to fly as they gave up their mission for the sake of the two stranded veterans in space. The launch can be viewed on NASA’s official website and NASA+ platform.