NASA and SpaceX are preparing for the launch of the Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station. The launch was originally scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 26, but has been delayed to Saturday, Sept. 28, at 1:17 p.m. EDT due to the potential impact of Tropical Storm Helene on Florida’s Space Coast.
Falcon 9’s first stage booster lands on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship using a single Merlin engine pic.twitter.com/7mWS1efnZh
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 25, 2024
Liftoff of Falcon 9 under the power of nine Merlin engines pic.twitter.com/CGAwMbE8TH
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 25, 2024
On Tuesday, NASA, SpaceX, and Space Force Guardians with Space Launch Delta 45 conducted a dry dress rehearsal for the launch. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov participated in the simulation, which included the countdown process.
#ICYMI: @Commercial_Crew's #Crew9 @NASA_Astronauts Nick Hague, commander, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, mission specialist, arrived at the Launch and Landing Facility this weekend.
Launch is scheduled for 2:05pm ET on Sept. 26.
More: https://t.co/KbyXffsw44 pic.twitter.com/Cf8TIHvhZm
— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) September 23, 2024
After the rehearsal, SpaceX performed a static fire test of the Falcon 9 rocket, briefly igniting its nine Merlin engines. The Falcon 9 rocket that will be used for the Crew-9 mission was previously involved in a Starlink mission on Aug. 20, 2024.
Due to weather concerns, the Crew-9 launch is now NET Saturday, September 28th.
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) September 24, 2024
Tropical storm impacts Crew-9 launch
The rocket had encountered water intrusion issues, but these were resolved by drying the tanks and replacing components. The Crew-9 mission will be the first crewed launch from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) and showcases the redundancy capabilities of SpaceX’s launch pads in Florida.
After the launch, the Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft will dock with the ISS until February 2025. The spacecraft will return with Hague, Gorbunov, and NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams, who are currently on the ISS due to concerns over the Boeing Starliner spacecraft’s thrusters. Despite the weather challenges, preparations for the mission continue.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon spacecraft were rolled out to the launch pad on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in readiness for the launch. NASA and SpaceX are closely monitoring the weather conditions and will make any necessary adjustments to ensure the safety of the crew and the success of the mission.
The delay provides additional time for final checks and preparations before the astronauts embark on their journey to the ISS.
