SpaceX‘s
Crew-9
mission
successfully
reached
the
International
Space
Station
(ISS)
on
September
29,
2024.
The
NASA
astronaut
Colonel
Nick
Hague
and
Russian
cosmonaut
Aleksandr
Gorbunov
boarded
the
Crew
Dragon
capsule,
named
Freedom.
After
launching
from
Florida’s
Cape
Canaveral
Space
Force
Station
on
September
28th,
the
crew
completed
a
one-day
orbital
journey
before
docking
at
5:30
PM
EDT
(3:00
AM
IST).
Hague
is
the
first
active
U.S.
Space
Force
member
to
reach
space,
further
highlighting
the
significance
of
this
mission.
First
Human
Spaceflight
from
Space
Launch
Complex-40
Crew-9’s
launch
marked
a
historic
moment
as
it
was
the
first
human
spaceflight
to
lift
off
from
Space
Launch
Complex-40
(SLC-40).
Nick
Hague
and
Aleksandr
Gorbunov’s
arrival
brings
the
total
number
of
astronauts
aboard
the
ISS
to
eleven.
However,
this
mission
is
also
distinctive
due
to
NASA’s
decision
to
reduce
Crew-9’s
original
four-person
roster.
Instead,
the
mission
was
modified
to
carry
only
two
astronauts
to
make
room
for
two
astronauts
already
aboard
the
ISS
who
require
a
return
trip
to
Earth.
Butch
Wilmore
and
Sunita
Williams,
who
arrived
at
the
ISS
in
June
on
the
first
crewed
Boeing
Starliner
flight,
were
originally
scheduled
to
stay
for
just
ten
days.
However,
technical
issues
with
Starliner’s
thrusters
extended
their
stay
on
the
station.
Preparing
for
Crew-8’s
Departure
Crew-9’s
arrival
also
marks
the
upcoming
departure
of
the
Crew-8
astronauts,
including
NASA’s
Michael
Barratt,
Matthew
Dominick,
Jeanette
Epps,
and
cosmonaut
Alexander
Grebenkin.
The
four,
who
arrived
at
the
station
in
March,
are
scheduled
to
return
to
Earth
soon
after
Crew-9’s
docking
process
is
completed.
If
everything
proceeds
as
planned,
Crew-9
will
remain
at
the
ISS
until
February
2025,
further
supporting
ongoing
space
research
and
operations
aboard
the
station.