NASA has announced that astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will be launching on the SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than Tuesday, September 24, 2024. This update comes after changes to the mission’s crew composition. Originally, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were also part of the Crew-9 team, but they are now eligible for reassignment to future missions.
The upcoming SpaceX Crew-9 mission will now be flown with a two-person crew aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Nick Hague will serve as the mission commander, while Aleksandr Gorbunov will take on the role of mission specialist. This adjustment follows NASA’s decision to return the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test uncrewed, resulting in two vacant seats on Crew-9. NASA’s decision was made by Joe Acaba, Chief Astronaut at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, who needed to ensure a balanced crew with essential experience and integration for the mission.
Joe Acaba explained that the decision to reduce the crew size was challenging. The crew had trained as a team of four, and adjusting to a smaller crew presented its own set of difficulties. Despite this, Acaba expressed confidence in the crew’s capabilities, noting that Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson would continue to support their colleagues in preparation for the mission. Both Cardman and Wilson remain committed to the mission’s success and look forward to participating in future spaceflights.