According to the latest news on Friday, SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission will launch to the International Space Station with only NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov on board. Crew-9 will launch “no earlier than” September 24, and Starliner astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams are scheduled to be delayed next February Bring it back to Earth.
NASA said the two other U.S. astronauts originally selected for the mission, Zena Cadman and Stephanie Wilson, will be eligible for reassignment. The agency did not specify why it separated the cast. While serving as vehicles for Starliner astronauts, the two Crew-9 members will fulfill their original goal of conducting research aboard the International Space Station during their stay.
NASA Chief Astronaut Joe Acaba said in a statement: “While we have changed crews before for various reasons, considering that the crew has already been trained with four people, the smaller crew for this flight Crew size was another difficult decision. “I have full confidence in all of our crews who have performed exceptionally well throughout mission training. “
Meanwhile, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will automatically detach from the International Space Station at 6:04 pm on September 6. There will be no one on board, but ground teams will be ready to “remotely command the spacecraft” if needed. The spacecraft will land at White Sands Spaceport in New Mexico in about six hours.
