Tech Desk
Sep 30, 2024
SpaceX's Crew-9 mission successfully arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on September 29, marking a significant milestone in space exploration.
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov travelled aboard the Freedom Crew Dragon capsule on a one-day orbital chase.
SpaceX Crew-9 mission launch details
The SpaceX’s crew-9 team launched from Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on September 28.
Interestingly, it is the first launch on which a rocket has ever left SLC-40 on a human spaceflight mission. Hague will be the first active member of the Space Force to have flown into space.
The ISS-orbital segment resupply mission is unique. Most SpaceX Crew Dragons carry four astronauts to the ISS.
The two SpaceX astronauts Wilmore and William, who have been on board the ISS for some time and therefore, would be returning home onboard with this crew, led NASA to reduce the number of astronauts in Crew-9.
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Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams flew to the ISS on Boeing's Starliner capsule in June but got stuck at ISS due to the spacecraft's technical issues.
However, both astronauts are expected to return to Earth by February 2025 on Freedom along with Hague and Gorbunov.
Before the arrival of Crew-9, nine astronauts were stationed on the ISS. The crew comprises NASA's Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, Donald Pettit, cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Aleksey Ovchinin, and Ivan Wagner. Barratt, Dominick, Epps, and Grebenkin would return to Earth shortly after the arrival of Crew-9.
Moreover, with the increasing frontiers of space exploration, missions such as Crew-9 demonstrate the need for international cooperation.
How to watch SpaceX Crew-9 mission
You can watch the Crew-9 mission's milestones live via NASA's stream. The agency updates the mission's progress, offering a glimpse into the world of space exploration.
