SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission will launch to the Worldwide House Station with solely NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov onboard, in response to an replace on Friday. Crew-9 will launch “no earlier” than September twenty fourth, with plans to carry delayed Starliner astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams again to Earth subsequent February.
NASA says the opposite two US astronauts initially chosen for the mission, Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, can be eligible for reassignment. The company doesn’t specify why it break up the crew up. Regardless of serving as a journey for Starliner’s astronauts, the 2 Crew-9 members will perform their unique purpose of performing analysis on the ISS throughout their keep.
“Whereas we’ve modified crew earlier than for quite a lot of causes, downsizing crew for this flight was one other robust choice to regulate to on condition that the crew has educated as a crew of 4,” NASA chief astronaut Joe Acaba mentioned in a press release. “I’ve the utmost confidence in all our crew, who’ve been glorious all through coaching for the mission.”
In the meantime, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will autonomously undock from the ISS on September sixth at 6:04PM. It received’t have anybody onboard, however groups on the bottom can be able to “remotely command the spacecraft” if wanted. The spacecraft is ready to land in New Mexico’s White Sands House Harbor round six hours later.
