The first part of returning two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station to Earth commences Thursday when a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft called Freedom launches from Florida. Barring delays, the NASA Crew-9 (meaning the ninth commercial crew mission) launch takes place at 2:05 p.m. ET out of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Two astronauts will head to the ISS with an expected return in February with Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who arrived via a Boeing Starliner capsule on what was supposed to be an eight-day mission in June.
SpaceX is working with NASA on the mission, having transported its Dragon space transport to where the mission will begin. Crew Dragon Freedom previously flew on a Crew-4 Mission to the ISS in 2022 as well as two prior private missions.
Who'll be on board
Thursday's mission will have a two-person crew: NASA astronaut Nick Hague, who'll serve as commander, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, the mission specialist. Crew-9's four-person team was cut in half in order to accommodate the return of Williams and Wilmore.
Hague, 50, celebrated a birthday on Tuesday, and Gorbunov, is 39. Hague has been an astronaut since 2013 and has spent time on the ISS for previous missions. He was US Space Force director of test and evaluation from 2020-2022 before coming back to NASA to work on the Boeing Starliner program. Gorbunov was selected as a cosmonaut in 2018 and has worked in various engineering roles.
Where to watch the launch
NASA+, NASA's live stream page and YouTube are your best bets for watching the launch on Thursday, but you can bet SpaceX will also be posting updates and streams.
For those who want to see it in person, there are general admission and premium tickets for watching at the Kennedy Space Center.
NASA is closely watching Tropical Cyclone Helene for any potential effect it might have on the Thursday launch. Check NASA's Commercial Crew blog or revisit this post, which we'll continue updating with information if the launch date changes.
What happened to the Boeing Starliner?
After several mechanical problems, including helium leaks, were detected with the vessel after Williams and Wilmore arrived at the ISS, it was deemed too risky for them to return to Earth on the Boeing Starliner. NASA returned the Starliner without a crew, landing it safely in New Mexico on Sept. 6.
The decision to involve SpaceX in the rescue mission shows that NASA is becoming increasingly reliant on outside help from commercial space companies. It is also the second time in just a year that NASA has left personnel on the ISS longer than planned. As Space.com points out, astronaut Frank Rubio spent more than a year on the ISS when a coolant leak prevented a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from returning Rubio home.
What will the crew do until February?
NASA says the astronauts on the ISS will keep busy doing research and technology demonstrations and performing maintenance activities while they're in orbit on the space station.
After several days of what NASA is calling "handoff activity," astronauts already on the ISS, including Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin from Crew-8 wlll disembark from the space station and splash down in Florida.
After Hague and Gorbunov arrive, the ISS will have additional visitors. Over the coming months, a SpaceX resupply mission and NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 will arrive, as well as cosmonaut cargo delivery missions.