T + T – Normal size
NASA and SpaceX are planning to launch a new crewed mission to the International Space Station next week. American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov are preparing to lift off on Crew-9, the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
-
Preparations for launch
Preparations include the launch of the Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida, which has been used in three previous missions, including Crew-4 and the Axiom 2 and Axiom 3 missions.
Once at the International Space Station, Hague and Gorbunov will join the Expedition 72 crew, where they will conduct scientific experiments, demonstrate new technology, and perform maintenance work. They will join NASA astronauts Don Pettit, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, and Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner.
-
Crew-9 Mission Details
Crews continue to integrate the Dragon vehicle with the Falcon 9 rocket and conduct necessary tests. The vehicle will then be transported to the launch pad and prepared for final testing before liftoff.
Hague and Gorbunov will return to Earth in February 2025, along with Wilmore and Williams, aboard the Dragon spacecraft, which will undock from the station, re-enter the atmosphere and splash down in the ocean off the coast of Florida.
-
About the crew
Nick Hague
Nick Hague will be the commander of Crew-9, and this will be his third trip to space. On his first flight in October 2018, Hague and crewmate Alexei Ovchinin experienced a rocket engine failure, leading to an abort and a safe landing in the Soyuz MS-10 capsule. He then launched again in March 2019 aboard the Soyuz MS-12, spending 203 days in space and performing three spacewalks.
Alexander Gorbunov
Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov will make his first flight to the International Space Station as a mission specialist. Born in the Kursk region of Russia, Gorbunov majored in spacecraft engineering at the Moscow Aviation Institute, where he worked as an engineer at Energia before being selected as a cosmonaut in 2018.
-
Scientific research
Crew-9 will focus on new scientific research including studying the effects of flames in microgravity, the effects of space on cells and platelets, as well as scientific experiments aimed at improving human life on Earth and exploring deep space.
After launch, Dragon will reach speeds of nearly 17,500 mph, and NASA and SpaceX control teams will monitor a series of automated maneuvers to guide the vehicle to the forward docking port of the station’s Harmony module.
After docking, the Expedition 71 crew will welcome Hague and Gorbunov to the station, where they will conduct several days of transition activities with Crew-8 before their departure.
