NASA’s upcoming Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station has a new launch date. The mission, which marks the ninth crewed mission with SpaceX, is now scheduled to launch no earlier than Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 25, 2024. This delay was announced by NASA on Thursday to allow teams to complete prelaunch preparations and ensure smooth operations.
The rocket carrying the Crew-9 mission is set to launch at 2:28 p.m. from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It will be aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft. Backup dates for the launch are also available on Sept. 26, 27, and 28.
Originally planned for Aug. 18, the mission was rescheduled to Sept. 24 to accommodate the return of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The Starliner has since returned to Earth uncrewed, leading to changes in the Crew-9 mission crew. What was initially a four-member crew has now been reduced to two members – NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbuno. This change occurred as NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were part of the Starliner mission, are now set to return with them in February 2025.
In August, NASA made the decision to bring back Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to Earth uncrewed due to safety concerns. As a result, Wilmore and Williams will have an extended stay aboard the ISS, lasting several months longer than their original planned 2-week mission.
The Crew-9 mission is expected to spend five months aboard the ISS, during which time they will conduct spacewalks, research demonstrations, and experiments. This extended duration will provide valuable insights and data for ongoing scientific research and space exploration efforts.