SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission will launch to the Worldwide Area Station with solely NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov onboard, based on 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, will probably be eligible for reassignment. The company doesn’t specify why it cut up the crew up. Regardless of serving as a trip for Starliner’s astronauts, the 2 Crew-9 members will perform their unique objective of performing analysis on the ISS throughout their keep.
“Whereas we’ve modified crew earlier than for a wide range of causes, downsizing crew for this flight was one other powerful choice to regulate to provided 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 gained’t have anybody onboard, however groups on the bottom will probably be able to “remotely command the spacecraft” if wanted. The spacecraft is ready to land in New Mexico’s White Sands Area Harbor round six hours later.
