WEB DESK
In a mission that aims to bring Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams back to Earth, NASA and SpaceX spacecraft carrying Crew-9 members, astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, left for the International Space Station (ISS) today.
The NASA-SpaceX mission safely reached orbit after it was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission is significant as it marks the first human spaceflight to launch from Space Launch Complex-40. In a social media post, NASA said the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station (ISS). The new crew arrives at the orbiting lab today for a five-month science mission.
According to NASA, the targeted docking time is approximately 3.30 am tomorrow, as per Indian Standard Time. The Crew-9 members will have two empty seats for NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who will fill them when the spacecraft returns next year.
Initially, Sunita Williams and Barry Willmore travelled to the ISS abroad in Boeing’s Starliner space shuttle in its first crewed mission on June 5 for an originally planned stay of 8 days. However, after the shuttle experienced some technical malfunction, their return was cancelled, and the vessel returned without them. The duo is now expected to return in February 2025.