After Hurricane Helene delayed an attempt earlier this week, SpaceX is now targeting a human space launch Saturday, sending a U.S. astronaut and Russian cosmonaut on a mission to the International Space Station. The duo could launch at 1:17 p.m., from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral.
The Crew-9 mission is launching with two empty seats. They’re reserved for return passengers -- NASA astronauts Butch Willmore and Sunni Williams. The duo arrived at the station in Boeing’s Starliner capsule, but hardware issues with their ride forced NASA and Boeing to return the capsule to Earth without a crew, leaving Wilmore and WIlliams to hitch a ride home on the SpaceX capsule
The duo were scheduled for an eight-day mission in June, but technical issues with their Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft prompted NASA to return the vehicle without a crew and asked SpaceX to give Wilmore and Williams a ride back home.
In a phone call home after Starliner landed back on Earth without them, Williams said she is excited to catch a ride home on a new spacecraft.
“We wanted to take Starliner to completion and land it back on land at home,” Williams said. “But you have to turn the page and look at the next opportunity. And you know, do good for the agency and the country, and we'll come back with some evaluations of both spacecraft that I think we're pretty fortunate for.”
The Crew-9 is more than just a rescue operation for the Starliner crew. Once at the station NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos Aleksandr Gorbunov will spend five months in space, conducting research and performing over 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations.
Hague is the crew commander for this mission. It will be his second launch to the International Space Station.
This will be the ninth crewed rotation with SpaceX under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. This is also SpaceX’s 10th flight with astronauts on board.
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