Produced by: Tarun Mishra
NASA has altered the crew lineup for SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, removing two astronauts to make space for others who need a return trip from the International Space Station (ISS).
The revised mission will now include NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos astronaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Originally assigned Crew-9 commander Zena Cardman and mission specialist Stephanie Wilson have been reassigned to future missions.
NASA made this change due to concerns about the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which experienced propulsion issues. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, originally scheduled to return on Starliner, will now return on Crew-9.
The Crew-9 mission, initially set for August 18, has been delayed to September 24 to accommodate these changes. This allows a full six-month rotation on the ISS for Hague and Gorbunov, with Wilmore and Williams joining for their return.
The new launch date for Crew-9 is uncertain due to an ongoing investigation into a Falcon 9 rocket incident on August 28, where a booster failed to land properly after a Starlink mission launch.
Both NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the Falcon 9 issue, which could impact the upcoming Crew-9 launch timeline.
Nick Hague, a U.S. Space Force commander, will now lead the Crew-9 mission. Hague has previously flown to space twice, including a 2018 mission that was aborted mid-flight due to a rocket malfunction. Gorbunov, flying under a NASA-Roscosmos agreement, will make his first spaceflight.
The uncrewed Starliner is scheduled to undock from the ISS on September 6 to free up the docking port for Crew-9. The spacecraft’s issues have raised safety concerns, leading to the decision to return the affected astronauts on a different mission.