NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will head to the International Space Station on Saturday after several delays. The SpaceX Crew-9 mission will launch from the Cape Canaveral region — with live coverage accessible across the globe.
An official release from the space agency indicates that the duo are scheduled to lift-off from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 1:17 pm EDT on September 28. The targeted docking time is approximately 5:30 pm on Sunday.
Launch coverage will begin around 9:00 am on Saturday (6:40 pm in India) through the NASA+ site as well as the official NASA website. Arrival coverage will pick up the next day at 3:30 pm on the same platforms.
The Crew-9 mission was originally slated for a mid-August launch. It was pushed back a month to spend more time analyzing issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft which remains docked at the station. The departure date was moved yet again this week amidst tropical storm Helene. The hurricane is expected to bring high winds and heavy rain to the launch area in Florida as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico.
This will be the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX under the space agency's Commercial Crew Program.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Indian-origin Sunita Williams have been ‘stranded in space for several weeks after their Boeing Starliner suffered helium leaks and experienced issues with the its reaction control thrusters while approaching the space station. NASA had later deemed it ’too risky' for the duo to return by the same capsule — extending their eight day mission to more than eight months.
The duo are now full-time station crew members along with the seven others on board. They will fly home in February aboard a Dragon spacecraft with the two other crew members assigned to the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
(With inputs from agencies)
