SpaceX launches mission to return stranded NASA astronauts

The NASA astronauts were supposed to be in space for only an eight-day stay, but after problems with the Starliner’s propulsion system emerged during the flight there, NASA was forced to weigh a radical change in plans

Updated - September 29, 2024 10:59 am IST - Washington

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off carrying NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9, Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, to the International Space Station from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., September 28, 2024

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off carrying NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9, Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, to the International Space Station from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., September 28, 2024 | Photo Credit: Reuters

A SpaceX rocket soared into the sky Saturday (September 28, 2024) with two passengers on board, leaving two seats empty to return American astronauts who have been stranded for months on the International Space Station, NASA said.

The Falcon 9 rocket took off at 1:17 p.m. (1717 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It used a new launch pad, the pad’s first use for a crewed mission.

“Congrats to @NASA and @SpaceX on a successful launch,” NASA chief Bill Nelson said in a post on X. “We live in an exciting period of exploration and innovation in the stars.”

On board were NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov.

When they return from the space station in February, they will bring back two space veterans — Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams — whose stay on the ISS was prolonged for months by problems with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft.

The newly developed Starliner was making its first crewed flight when it delivered Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams to the ISS in June.

They were supposed to be there for only an eight-day stay, but after problems with the Starliner’s propulsion system emerged during the flight there, NASA was forced to weigh a radical change in plans.

Bit unique

After weeks of intensive tests on the Starliner’s reliability, the space agency finally decided to return it to Earth without its crew, and to bring the two stranded astronauts back home on the SpaceX mission Crew-9.

“We know that this launch is a bit unique in moving from the plan for crew members to two,” NASA associate administrator Jim Free told reporters.

“I do want to thank SpaceX for their support and flexibility.”

SpaceX, the private company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has been flying regular missions every six months to allow the rotation of ISS crews.

But the launch of Crew-9 was delayed from mid-August to late September to give NASA experts more time to evaluate the reliability of the Starliner and decide how to proceed.

It was then delayed a few more days by the destructive passage of Hurricane Helene, a powerful storm that roared into the opposite coast of Florida on Thursday (September 26, 2024) .

SpaceX’s Dragon vessel is set to dock with the ISS on Sunday around 2130 GMT.

After allowing a handover of duties, the four members of Crew-8 will return to Earth on another SpaceX craft.

In total, Hague and Gorbunov will spend some five months on the ISS; Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams, eight months.

In all, Crew-9 will conduct some 200 scientific experiments.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.