What to Watch: SpaceX Crew-9 Scheduled for Saturday Launch

Spaceflight will be the ninth Commercial Crew astronaut rotation mission SpaceX has performed for NASA.

Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 02:37 PM ET

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NASA astronaut Nick Hague (right) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will fly to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission is prepared for launch from Cape Canaveral, aiming to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and bring back others.
The primary objective of Crew-9 is to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stranded on the ISS since June due due to ongoing issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.
The mission will carry a reduced crew of two—NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—leaving two seats empty for the returning Starliner crew members.
This flight marks NASA’s ninth Commercial Crew mission with SpaceX, underscoring SpaceX's role as the agency's sole active contractor for human spaceflight amidst Boeing's Starliner development challenges.

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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule are stacked at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida ahead of the company’s latest human spaceflight, targeted to launch no earlier than 1:17 p.m. EDT on Saturday

The firm is preparing for the Crew-9 astronaut rotation mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which will culminate in the long-awaited return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams in February. Wilmore and Williams hitched a ride to the ISS on Boeing’s Starliner in June and have remained there as engineers contended with several issues on the spacecraft.

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.