SpaceX Crew-9, the mission that will return Starliner astronauts, prepares for launch
By Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY,
23 days ago
The SpaceX vehicle that next year will ferry the Starliner astronauts back to Earth is preparing to finally depart for the International Space Station as early as this weekend.
Aboard the company's Dragon capsule will be two Crew-9 astronauts embarking to the orbital outpost for a six-month rotation to perform a slew of research and experiments. Originally scheduled for an August launch, the mission had been delayed while NASA and Boeing officials worked to figure out what to do about the troubled Starliner spacecraft taking up the Dragon's docking port.
And when the Crew-9 astronauts return from their voyage on the Dragon in February, they won't be alone. Joining them will be Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the NASA astronauts who in June flew to the station aboard the Starliner for what was supposed to be a 10-day stay .
In August, NASA had delayed the Crew-9 launch to no earlier than Tuesday amid the scramble to figure out what to do about the Starliner, which encountered multiple problems during its trip to orbit.
As of now, the earliest possible launch opportunity is 1:17 p.m. EDT Saturday, the U.S. space agency said in a Tuesday blog post . The rocket rolled out Tuesday to Space Launch Complex 40 the Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral after the crew arrived Saturday to quarantine .
After integrating the rocket and capsule for a launch rehearsal Tuesday night, the vehicle was to move back to the hangar ahead of any potential storm activity, NASA said.
While aboard the orbital laboratory, the Crew-9 astronauts will spend six months conducting experiments , research demonstrations and spacewalks to perform maintenance on the space station. Much of it will be to prepare for human exploration deep into the cosmos .
Boeing had spent years developing and testing the vehicle ahead of the inaugural crewed test flight, which managed to launch June 5 after a few delays of its own. Hopes were high that the demonstration would pave the way for Starliner to compete with SpaceX carrying cargo and crews to the space station for NASA.
Now, Wilmore and Williams are scheduled to remain at the space station for another five months and return in February, hitching a ride on the Dragon when the Crew-9 astronauts complete their six-month shift.
Meet the astronauts of Crew-9
Before the Starliner woes, the Crew-9 mission was slated to include a full contingent of four astronauts.
But now that the Starliner astronauts are in need of a ride home, just two Crew-9 astronauts will head to the space station aboard the Dragon to leave room for Wilmore and Williams, NASA said .
The two astronauts of Crew-9 are:
◾ NASA astronaut Nick Hague , of Belleville, Kansas, will serve as crew commander, making this his third launch and second mission to the space station. Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013, Hague, also an active-duty colonel in the U.S. Space Force, has spent 203 days in space and conducted three spacewalks.
◾ Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will embark on his first trip to the space station as a mission specialist. The Russian studied engineering at the Moscow Aviation Institute, graduating with a specialty in operating and repairing aircraft before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2018.
"We always miss our families. I miss my two dogs. I miss my friends," Williams said recently in a media briefing from the space station. "There's so many people on Earth that are sending us messages, and it makes you feel just right at home ... everybody understands, and everybody's cheering for us to get back with Crew-9."
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
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