SpaceX Crew-9 Mission Delayed to September 26, NASA Prioritizes Safety Amid Complexities

The upcoming space station mission—now rescheduled for September 26—has been pushed back to allow for additional prep work and weather checks. This SpaceX Crew-9 mission, originally set for an earlier launch, will be heading to the International Space Station (ISS) later than expected, giving teams the chance to fine-tune both hardware and pre-launch operations. NASA says they are ensuring that everything is fine and right in place for a smooth liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, where human spaceflights aren’t a regular event. That pad is usually used for satellite launches, but this mission marks a new way to it— human launch from this site, with some structural modifications in place to accommodate astronauts.

@NASA & @SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Thursday, Sept. 26 for the launch of the Crew-9 mission to the @Space_Station, with back-up dates on Friday, Sept. 27 & Saturday, Sept. 28.

Joint teams continue to work through prelaunch operations & hardware processing ahead of the… pic.twitter.com/1IrDGbCK2k

— Vanessa Wyche (@v_wyche) September 19, 2024

The new launch window is slated for no earlier than 2:05 p.m. EDT on September 26… but if something throws that off—weather, for instance—there are backup slots for the following days, September 27 and 28. This mission, originally expected to ferry four astronauts, now only has two aboard: NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov. Hague is making history as the first active U.S. Space Force officer to head into space from a Space Force launchpad—a nod to the expanding role of this military branch.

As for the other two seats on the Crew Dragon? They’ll be occupied by mass simulators, not astronauts. NASA’s Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, initially slated for this journey, will stay grounded for now but remain in the queue for future missions. This shift is part of a larger juggling act involving ISS astronaut rotations and changes following issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

Speaking of Starliner… there have been hiccups. When it docked at the ISS, five thrusters in the reaction control system misbehaved, leaving NASA uneasy about using it to bring astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth. They’ve been in orbit since June 6—Boeing’s first-ever crewed mission on Starliner. And while Starliner’s return to Earth on September 6 went smoothly, NASA’s investigation into the thruster glitch continues.

Rocket Launch
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Crew-9
On 2024-09-25 at 18:28:00 UTC | 5 days, 18 hours, 12 mins
By SpaceX
Status: Awaiting official confirmation – current date is known with some certainty.
Rocket: Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch pad: Space Launch Complex 40, located at Cape Canaveral,… pic.twitter.com/EhnXstyfT0

— Astronomy Bot (@astronomybot) September 20, 2024

On the other side of the story, Wilmore and Williams are hanging tight on the ISS. While their staying was set for a ten day expedition, they got stuck there. As Starliner is not able to work to effect their return, they’ll stick around until February 2025. Luckily, extra food, oxygen, and supplies were already on board, and the astronauts have experience with extended stays—though their extended trip wasn’t exactly part of the original plan.

What’s the fallback plan, then? Well, if an emergency evacuation is needed before Crew-9 arrives, Wilmore and Williams will have to hitch a ride on Crew Dragon’s Crew-8, though they’ll be riding cargo-style—sans spacesuits—as Crew Dragon isn’t set up to handle the suits used by Starliner astronauts. A SpaceX spacesuit for Williams is already on board, and with the Crew-9 mission another for Wilmore will be sent up.

Once Crew-9 docks with the ISS, they’ll serve as the backup escape route for Williams and Wilmore. While this timeline may have been reshuffled, NASA’s approach ensures safety first, making adjustments as needed to keep the mission on track. This mission will stretch their time in space to around eight months—longer than the typical five or six months spent on the ISS, though it’s far from the longest stint. All in all, Crew-9’s delay is just one more example of the complexities that come with space travel, where nothing is ever set in stone, and adaptability is key.

Major Points

• The SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the ISS has been rescheduled for September 26 to allow for additional prep work and weather considerations.
• The mission will launch from Space Launch Complex 40, typically used for satellite launches, now modified to accommodate human spaceflights.
• NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov will be aboard, with the other two seats filled by mass simulators.
• ISS astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, awaiting return due to Boeing’s Starliner issues, may stay in orbit until February 2025.
• Crew-9 will serve as the backup escape route for Wilmore and Williams, as NASA prioritizes safety and flexibility in mission planning.

Kirk Volo – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News