A SpaceX Crew Dragon craft has launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying two new crew members to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch had been delayed a number of times, most recently due to Hurricane Helene, but lifted off successfully at 1:17 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 28.
The spacecraft, carried by a Falcon 9 rocket and launched from Space Launch Complex-40, carries NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov as members of the Crew-9 mission. It is unusual for a Dragon to launch carrying just two crew members, as it typically carries crews of four. In this case, the spare seats are reserved for the homeward journey of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams who are currently on the ISS, having traveled there on the first crewed test flight of the Boeing Starliner.
Following issues with the Starliner’s thrusters, NASA decided not to being home Wilmore and Williams on the Starliner but instead to have them stay on the station and join Crew-9. The four-person crew will now return to Earth using the Dragon spacecraft in February 2025.
The re-jigging of crew assignments required some changes around this launch, which had originally been scheduled for August. “This mission required a lot of operational and planning flexibility. I congratulate the entire team on a successful launch today, and godspeed to Nick and Aleksandr as they make their way to the space station,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Our NASA wizards and our commercial and international partners have shown once again the success that comes from working together and adapting to changing circumstances without sacrificing the safe and professional operations of the International Space Station.”
Hague and Gorbunov are expected to arrive at the ISS on the afternoon of Sunday, September 29, where they will join the ISS Expedition 72 crew. There are currently nine people aboard the ISS — six NASA astronauts and three Roscosmos cosmonauts — who will welcome the new arrivals with a welcome ceremony.
The arrival of the Dragon at the ISS and the docking procedure, followed by the hatch opening and welcome ceremony, will be livestreamed by NASA. You can watch along on NASA’s YouTube channel, which will show coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.