NASA and SpaceX are targeting Saturday for an afternoon launch of the Crew-9 mission , which in five months aims to bring back home two astronauts currently stuck in space . The launch, originally scheduled for Aug. 18, was delayed to Tuesday as NASA and Boeing officials worked to figure out what to do about the troubled Starliner spacecraft. This week, the mission was postponed three more times, due in part to weather concerns as Hurricane Helene approached the Florida coast.
As of Friday afternoon, the mission has a new launch time set for no earlier than 12:17 p.m. CT on Saturday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. A backup launch time has also been set for 11:54 p.m. CT on Sunday. On Friday, the space agency also confirmed the launching area is safe following Helene’s arrival.
NASA and SpaceX continue to target 1:17pm ET September 28 for the launch of the agency’s SpaceX #Crew9 mission. Weather officials with @SLDelta45 predict a 55% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch, primary concerns being in the ascent corridor. pic.twitter.com/3SUjuXlLW4
— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) September 26, 2024
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will be aboard the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). During their time on the ISS, the two will conduct research and perform maintenance activities, including spacewalks, according to NASA…