SpaceX’s upcoming Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed due to the arrival of Tropical Storm Helene. Originally set to launch on September twenty sixth from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the launch is now delayed by at the least two days. The tropical storm is anticipated to escalate right into a Category 3 hurricane and make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast. As a end result, NASA and SpaceX are aiming for a brand new launch window on Saturday, 28 September, at 1:17 p.m. EDT (1717 GMT), topic to climate circumstances.
Precautionary Measures in Place
Although the storm will influence Florida’s panhandle, its vast attain has led to warnings about robust winds and heavy rain on the jap coast, the place Cape Canaveral is situated. NASA’s statement highlighted the preparations in place, together with the precautionary return of the rocket-capsule combo to the hangar. The {hardware} was moved to the launch pad on 24 September, and mission rehearsals are ongoing forward of the rescheduled launch date.
Crew Details for the Mission
The Crew-9 mission will ship NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov to the ISS, the place they are going to stay for roughly 5 months, returning in February 2025. The Falcon 9 rocket will carry the Crew Dragon capsule, named Freedom, and is often geared up to hold 4 astronauts. However, two seats on this flight have been reserved for Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who’re scheduled to return from the ISS after arriving in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule.
The launch, as soon as rescheduled, will mark SpaceX’s ninth operational astronaut mission below NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. While Boeing can also be part of this programme, delays in its Starliner capsule’s crewed missions have but to be resolved.
