NASA, SpaceX to launch new crewed mission next week to ISS for 203 days

Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov plan to launch on the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 mission to ISS next week. Check details

Nasa and SpaceX plan to launch a new crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on September 26. The US space agency stated on Thursday that they are preparing to launch the SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the ISS with Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov

It is the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX, undertaken by Nasa, to the station under its Commercial Crew Program.

The two astronauts will be aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

According to Nasa, Crew-9 will conduct scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit, which will benefit humanity on Earth.

Nasa astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who are currently at ISS will return home with Hague and Gorbunov in February 2025.

Hague, Gorbonov logged in space for 203 days

It will be Hague’s third launch and second mission to the orbiting laboratory. His first mission was in October 2018, when he along with his crewmate, Roscosmos’ Alexey Ovchinin, experienced a rocket booster failure that resulted in an in-fight post-launch abort, ballistic re-entry, and safe landing in their Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft.

After five years, Hague was launched aboard Soyuz MS-12, and he was the flight engineer aboard the space station during Expeditions 59 and 60. He conducted three spacewalks to upgrade the station's power systems and installed a docking adapter for commercial spacecraft. 

However, it is the first trip to space for Gorbunov. Being born in Zheleznogorsk, Kursk region, Russia, he completed his engineering with qualifications in spacecraft and upper stages from the Moscow Aviation Institute. He also graduated from the military department with a specialty in operating and repairing aircraft, helicopters, and aircraft engines. He also worked as an engineer for Rocket Space Corp. 

Both Hague and Gorbonov will be the members of the Expedition 72 crew aboard the station joining Wilmore, Williams, fellow Nasa astronaut Don Pettit, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner to conduct research and maintenance activities into the station's 24th year of continuous human presence. They both will be in space for 203 days.