A Space Force officer will command a mission later this month to safely bring home two astronauts who have been unexpectedly stuck aboard the International Space Station, or ISS, marking the first time a Guardian will launch into space for such a high-profile operation.
Col. Nick Hague, an active-duty Space Force Guardian, will be joined by Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for NASA's Crew-9 mission. Originally, Hague and Gorbunov were supposed to be joined by two other astronauts for a trip to space, but problems with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that have left astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams stuck aboard the space station for months longer than anticipated shifted the mission objective, date and staffing.
Hague and Gorbunov will launch no earlier than Sept. 24, NASA said in a Friday news release, and will return to Earth with Wilmore and Williams in February 2025. The Guardian and the cosmonaut were chosen for their particular experience and skill sets, the agency said.
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"The decision to fly Hague was made by NASA chief astronaut Joe Acaba at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston," the space agency said in the release. "Acaba had to balance flying a NASA crew member with previous spaceflight experience to command the flight, while ensuring NASA maintains an integrated crew with a Roscosmos cosmonaut who can operate their critical systems for continued, safe station operations."
The other two astronauts originally slated to join Hague and Gorbunov will be eligible for reassignment on another space mission. The Crew-9 mission will mark the first time in history that a Space Force Guardian has launched into space.
Boeing's Starliner launched June 5 with Williams and Wilmore on a mission slated to last only eight days, but mechanical issues with the spacecraft and concerns over whether it could return the duo safely have left them aboard the ISS for around three months.
NASA hopes to bring the unmanned Starliner back to Earth as soon as this upcoming weekend.
While the Space Force does not create or train astronauts, the Department of Defense has historically provided and loaned many pilots to NASA for involvement with civilian space exploration. Roughly two-thirds of NASA astronauts have prior military experience, according to the Space Force.
Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who focuses on space and defense policy, told Military.com in an interview Monday that Hague's involvement in the Crew-9 launch, while notable, may lend to more public confusion about the Space Force's overall mission, which is creating forces to protect and defend America's satellite fleet and interests in space.
The missions of NASA and the Space Force have often been confused by the public, Harrison added, just like how the now-canceled Netflix series "Space Force" led to misconceptions about the service branch.
"The Space Force has Guardians, some of whom may be on loan to NASA to work for NASA as astronauts, but they're not working for the Space Force as astronauts," Harrison said. "It kind of doesn't help, right? Because it, again, conflates what the Space Force does with what NASA does, just like the Netflix TV series conflated the two."
Mike Hopkins, originally an Air Force officer, became the first Guardian in space when he took his service oath in a ceremony aboard the ISS in 2020.
Hague will be the first Guardian to launch into space if the Crew-9 mission goes as planned. However, it would mark his third launch and second time in space overall as he had previous missions when he was a member of the Air Force. His first mission in 2018 ended with a malfunction, leading to an in-flight launch abort.
His first visit to space happened in 2019, where he stayed aboard the ISS for 203 days. Following that mission, he was the Space Force's director of test and evaluation, serving as an Air Force officer, then transferred into the newest service branch in 2021.
While the public may be confused over NASA's mission and the Space Force's job, Harrison pointed out that Hague's involvement with the operation could potentially inspire future generations to take on a similar career path.
"The positive, obviously, is they get a little extra press for the Space Force, and it could help recruiting ," Harrison said. "Eighteen-year-olds out there in high school look and say, 'Oh cool, there's this NASA astronaut, and he came from the Space Force.' .... 'Maybe I want to follow his career trajectory and join the Space Force.'"
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