NASA and SpaceX Prepare for 1:17 PM ET Crew-9 Launch from Cape Canaveral to Rescue Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore

Sep 28, 2024, 02:17 PM

NASA and SpaceX are preparing for the launch of the Crew-9 mission, scheduled for 1:17 PM ET on September 28, 2024. The mission will send astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov to the International Space Station (ISS) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, marking the first human spaceflight from this site. The primary objective of Crew-9 is to bring back astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were stranded on the ISS due to issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. The weather forecast for the launch is 55% favorable, with concerns about cumulus clouds, precipitation, and surface electric fields. SpaceX has introduced a new safety feature for the Crew Dragon spacecraft, allowing it to perform a propulsive landing using its SuperDraco engines in the event that all parachutes fail. The mission will dock at the ISS at 5:30 PM ET on Sunday, September 29, 2024.