NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission successfully launched on Sept. 28, 2024, from Space Launch Complex-40, Cape Canaveral, at 1:17 p.m. EDT. The mission is part of NASA’s continued efforts to support scientific research aboard the ISS. Astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will spend five months aboard the space station, conducting crucial scientific experiments.
Crew-9, NASA’s ninth commercial crew rotation to the ISS, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, marking a key moment in NASA’s collaboration with international and commercial partners. The spacecraft will dock with the ISS on Sept. 29, expanding the Expedition 72 crew to 11 members temporarily before Crew-8 departs in early October.
Hague and Gorbunov, along with their crewmates, will conduct over 200 investigations, including studies on blood clotting, moisture effects on space-grown plants, and vision changes in astronauts. Their work will further humanity’s knowledge in preparation for future deep space missions.
Nick Hague, making his second trip to the ISS, will serve as a mission specialist, while first-time flier Aleksandr Gorbunov will be the flight engineer for Expedition 72/73. Following their mission, they will return to Earth with fellow astronauts in February 2025, contributing to the ISS’s legacy of over 23 years of continuous human presence and scientific advancement.
The mission is essential for NASA’s long-term goals, including the Artemis campaign, and serves as a stepping stone for future space exploration, particularly for extended missions beyond Earth’s orbit.
The International Space Station (ISS) is a multi-national collaborative project, serving as a unique space laboratory for scientific research and technological advancements in low Earth orbit (LEO). It has been continuously inhabited by humans since the year 2000, making it a symbol of global cooperation in space exploration. The ISS orbits the Earth at an average altitude of approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles) and travels at a speed of 28,000 km/h (17,500 mph), completing one orbit around the Earth roughly every 90 minutes.
The primary goals of the ISS are:
The ISS consists of multiple interconnected modules and various external structures. These include:
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