Nasa is set to launch the SpaceX Crew-9 mission on Saturday, which will bring astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth after their extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 1:17 pm EDT (10:47 pm IST) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Live coverage of the launch will begin at 9:00 am EDT (6:30 pm IST) on Nasa’‘s official website, NASA+, and YouTube.The Crew-9 mission will be the first crewed launch from Space Launch Complex-40.
The spacecraft is set to dock with the ISS around 5:30 pm EDT (3:00 am IST) on Monday.
The Crew-9 mission is part of Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program. It includes Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Originally scheduled for September 26, the launch was delayed due to Hurricane Helene hitting Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Nasa posted on X that managers from Nasa and SpaceX were discussing the planned September 28 launch of the Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station, along with a weather update provided by Space Launch Delta 45.
In another post on X, Nasa mentioned a live panel on the International Space Station with Nasa leaders, where they would answer questions from digital creators attending the Crew-9 Nasa Social event, as well as questions submitted online using the hashtag #AskNASA.
The mission aims to transport Hague and Gorbunov to the ISS for a five-month stay and ensure the safe return of Williams and Wilmore. Hague and Gorbunov will stay on the ISS until February, coinciding with the next crew rotation. Astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were also initially part of the Crew-9 mission but were removed to make room for the returning astronauts.
Williams and Wilmore traveled to the ISS in June on Boeing’s Starliner capsule for an eight-day mission. However, their stay was extended due to issues with the Starliner’s thrusters. Nasa then return the Starliner uncrewed on September 7 for further assessment.