SpaceX is preparing to launch two new crew members to the International Space Station aboard the Crew Dragon capsule, with a scheduled lift-off on Saturday from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission, known as Crew-9, will carry NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who will join the five other astronauts already at the ISS as part of Expedition 72. Hague and Gorbunov are expected to stay at the space station until February, and will return to Earth with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who arrived on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June.
Boeing’s Starliner experienced technical issues during its first crewed test flight, forcing NASA to delay the return of Wilmore and Williams and sending the capsule back to Earth without humans on board. Originally planned to carry four crew members, Crew-9 will only have two due to the need to leave seats open for Wilmore and Williams. The launch has been delayed multiple times, most recently due to Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida as a Category 4 storm. Despite the challenges, NASA has stated a 55% chance of favorable weather conditions for the upcoming launch, with concerns about atmospheric conditions along the rocket’s path to orbit.
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