SpaceX Crew-9 mission launched to rescue Sunita Williams from ISS
SpaceX's Crew-9 mission has lifted off from the Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This is a big deal since it's the first-ever human spaceflight mission from launch pad 40. The Dragon spacecraft, now separated from the Falcon 9 rocket, is heading straight to the International Space Station (ISS). Dragon is set to take around 28.5 hours to dock itself with the ISS, cruising at a speed of 27,370km/h while circling Earth.
Crew-9 members leave their mark on history
Dragon's docking is on the calendar for today at 5:30pm EDT (3:00am IST, Monday) NASA astronaut and commander Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut and mission specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov, have become the first two crewmembers to sign the White Room at pad 40. The White Room is an important area that connects to the spacecraft, a tradition dating back to NASA's Gemini program. This historic event further underscores the significance of this mission as it marks new territory in human spaceflight.
Dragon is now flying free
Unique passenger and mission details
The Crew-9 mission also has a surprise passenger—a "furry friend" named Aurora! But don't get too excited; it's not a real pet. It's actually a "Zero-G [Gravity] indicator," which acts as a visual cue when the spacecraft hits microgravity. The crew for this mission includes Hague, Gorbunov, and their special guest, Aurora.
Scientific agenda and future plans
Hague and Gorbunov are gearing up for Expedition 72, which will see them spending five months on the ISS. While they're up there, Crew-9 is expected to carry out more than 200 scientific demonstrations and tech tests. SpaceX said, "Dragon missions like Crew-9 and Polaris Dawn are important steps in building our future in space, enabling discoveries that can inform long-duration spaceflight missions as life becomes multiplanetary."
Return journey and mission challenges
The Dragon capsule, dubbed Freedom, is carrying just two folks to the ISS instead of the usual four. It's keeping two seats reserved for Crew-9's ride back to Earth in February. NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who got to the ISS in June on Boeing's Starliner capsule, will be catching a lift home with them. Their original 10-day mission got stretched out because of thruster hiccups with Starliner.
