SpaceX plans to launch the Crew-9 astronaut mission for NASA on Saturday (Sept. 28), and you’ll watch the motion stay on-line.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Crew Dragon spacecraft and its crew is scheduled to raise off from Area Launch Advanced-40 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Area Drive Station on Saturday at 1:17 p.m. EDT (1717 GMT). You possibly can watch the liftoff — the primary crewed launch ever from SLC-40 — stay right here at Area.com, courtesy of NASA.
Crew-9, the ninth crew rotation mission for NASA’s Business Crew Program, consists of NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov, a cosmonaut with the Russian house company Roscosmos. The duo are headed to the Worldwide Area Station (ISS) for a roughly five-month keep; their mission will conclude in February, once they return to Earth together with NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft usually carries 4 astronauts for NASA crew rotation missions. Whereas NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson had been initially included within the Crew-9 roster, they had been eliminated to depart room to deliver residence Williams and Wilmore, who launched to the house station in June on Boeing’s Starliner capsule for an anticipated eight-day keep.
Associated: Astronauts, capsule for SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission arrive at Florida launch website (pictures)
However Starliner skilled thruster points, and NASA prolonged the capsule’s time on the ISS to check the issue. The company ultimately determined to deliver the capsule down uncrewed, which occurred on Sept. 7; Williams and Wilmore remained aboard the ISS.
Crew-9 was initially scheduled to launch on Sept. 26, however that focus on was pushed again as a precaution as a result of Hurricane Helene, which ended up hanging Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Class 3 storm that night.
You possibly can observe the launch actions on-line right here at Area.com, courtesy of NASA, or straight by way of the house company. This is a rundown of the schedule, which may find yourself altering; verify again with Area.com for updates.
Sept. 27: Prelaunch information convention
On Friday (Sept. 27) at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT), NASA will host a prelaunch press convention at Kennedy Area Middle, which is subsequent door to Cape Canaveral Area Drive Station. The contributors will likely be:
- NASA Affiliate Administrator Jim Free
- Ken Bowersox, affiliate administrator, NASA’s Area Operations Mission Directorate
- Steve Stich, supervisor, NASA’s Business Crew Program
- Dina Contella, deputy supervisor, NASA’s Worldwide Area Station Program
- Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA’s Worldwide Area Station Program
- William Gerstenmaier, vp, Construct & Flight Reliability, SpaceX
- Brian Cizek, launch climate officer, forty fifth Climate Squadron, Cape Canaveral Area Drive Station
Sept. 28: Launch day!
Launch-day protection will start at 9:10 a.m. EDT (1310 GMT) on Saturday, main as much as liftoff at 1:17 p.m. EDT (1717 GMT). NASA can even stream a postlaunch press convention at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT), with the next contributors:
- NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy
- Ken Bowersox, affiliate administrator, NASA’s Area Operations Mission Directorate
- Dana Hutcherson, deputy program supervisor, NASA’s Business Crew ProgramJoel Montalbano, deputy affiliate administrator, NASA’s Area Operations Mission Directorate
- Dina Contella, deputy supervisor, NASA’s Worldwide Area Station Program
- Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Administration, SpaceX
Sept. 29: ISS arrival
Crew-9’s Dragon capsule, named Freedom, is anticipated to dock with the house station at 5:30 p.m. EDT (2130 GMT) on Sunday (Sept. 29). Protection of the spacecraft’s arrival will start at 3:30 p.m. (1530 GMT) and run by way of hatch opening and welcoming of the brand new crew members at 7:40 p.m. EDT (2340 GMT).
