SpaceX and NASA astronauts completes Crew-9 launch day rehearsal

SpaceX has announced that it has completed a preflight Crew-9 mission launch rehearsal with NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov. The company has also set up the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon booster on the launch site in Cape Canaveral Florida.

This mission is targeting a launch on September 28, it was previously scheduled for August but NASA has switched plans in the face of an urgent situation. However, the liftoff could be adjusted based on weather conditions.

SpaceX NASA Crew 9 astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov (Source -SpaceX)

The Dragon spacecraft was initially planned to host four astronauts but now there will be only two. This change comes after NASA undocked the Boeing Starliner spacecraft from the space station without its human crew.

The Boeing Starliner certification flight lifted off in June but failed to return to Earth in the scheduled timeline after experiencing several issues. The space agency then contracted SpaceX to return stranded astronauts – Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

These two will make a flight back home when Crew-9 Dragon undocks no earlier than February 2025. To prepare for this expedition, NASA and SpaceX have modified Dragon for the upcoming astronauts.