NASA and SpaceX Set Target Date for Crew-9 Space Station Mission

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 stands in front of a Falcon 9 first-stage booster at SpaceX’s HangarX facility in Florida. Credit: SpaceX

NASA and SpaceX are preparing to launch the Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station on August 18, featuring a diverse crew including NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Nick Hague, Stephanie Wilson, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov.

During a news conference on July 26, NASA and SpaceX officials announced their plan to launch the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than Sunday, August 18. Watch a full replay of the news conference:

Crew-9 is the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The mission will carry NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, spacecraft commander; Nick Hague, pilot; and Stephanie Wilson, mission specialist; as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov to the orbiting laboratory for a six-month science mission. This will be the first spaceflight for Cardman and Gorbunov, the second mission to the space station for Hague, and the fourth spaceflight for Wilson, who has spent 42 days in space aboard three space shuttle Discovery missions – STS-120, STS-121, and STS-131.

The Crew 9 mission patch depicts the trail of a rocket launching en route to the International Space Station which will be home for a long duration expedition dedicated to service science and collaboration Coastal waves are inspired by the historic Florida launch site and on a larger scale represent our blue planet the global ocean connecting all continents A falcon with the number nine as its beak and a crescent moon as its eye is a nod to the Falcon 9 rocket while the constellation Draco honors the Dragon spacecraft that will take Crew 9 to their destination The Delta symbol first used in 1961 evokes historic ties to the earliest days of space endeavors Human exploration of space is built on international collaboration and depends on the support of multitudes across the globe whose efforts honor that heritage. Credit: NASA

During a separate crew news conference later on Friday, Cardman, Hague, Wilson, and Gorbunov answered reporters’ questions and discussed topics such as the inspiration behind the Crew-9 mission patch design, research they’ll complete in microgravity, and how they prepare for a long-duration flight. Watch a full replay of the crew news conference here:

“I am absolutely honored to be here with my crewmates, who have been an awesome team – Nick, Stephanie, and Alex. They have shown so much technical excellence. They are also deeply kind and incredible teammates who have been really fun to work with, which has just made this a dream assignment for me,” said Cardman.

The international crew will lift off from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft. The Dragon spacecraft supporting this flight, named Freedom, previously flew on SpaceX’s Crew-4 and Axiom Space’s Ax-2 and Ax-3 missions.