On Saturday, NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the Crew-9 Dragon spacecraft, which is headed for the International Space Station ISS.
This mission is unique, as it will bring back two astronauts, Barry Butch Wilmore and Sunita Suni Williams, who have been aboard the ISS since June 2023.
Wilmore and Williams were part of the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner, initially expected to return after about a week.
However, due to mechanical issues with the Starliner, NASA and Boeing made the decision to return the spacecraft to Earth unmanned.
It safely landed at the White Sands Missile Range on September 7, 2024, leaving Wilmore and Williams on the ISS until February 2025.
Crew-9 Dragon, originally meant to carry four astronauts on a routine mission, now includes two empty seats and additional spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams’ return.
The spacecraft, crewed by astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov, will take approximately 28.5 hours to autonomously dock with the ISS at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 29, while orbiting Earth at 17,000 mph.
This mission underscores the collaboration between NASA, SpaceX, and Boeing as they continue to ensure safe and successful space operations.
