KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — After weather delays, spectators across the Space Coast and Treasure Coast watched as SpaceX lifted another important crewed flight into the sky. Meteorologists carefully monitored the weather and issued a report stating that the skies around the space center were cloudy right before the launch.
Cheers could be heard from the crowd at the launch facility as the two-person Crew-9 mission, one of several involving more than 200 scientific experiments, began orbiting. The launch came days after delays caused by Hurricane Helen’s deadly passage from the Gulf of Mexico into the Florida Panhandle.
Video by Nick Samuel
The rocket carrying the Freedom space capsule lifted off at 1:17 p.m., marking SpaceX’s ninth crew rotation and 10th flight with astronauts, including the Demo 2 test flight. Although the clouds continued to increase, there were no major problems, and the countdown began with 70 percent favorable conditions for launch, giving beachgoers a view to the south of the cape.
NASA astronaut Nick Haig, crew commander, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, mission specialist, launched Saturday atop a Falcon rocket, bound for the International Space Station for a five-month mission. I left. A sonic boom sounded as the booster rocket touched down on the landing zone at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Video by Nick Samuel
Storm Helen, a Category 4 storm that hit Florida on Thursday and turned north, caused some delays in operations, NASA administrators said at a pre-launch press conference Friday at Kennedy Space Center.
“The impact of Hurricane Helen here was pretty small,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate.
NASA leaders say the mission will be memorable because of its unique challenges.
Crew-9’s launch will take place in June when NASA and Boeing will send astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams locally to the Florida Institute of Technology in south Brevard. The move comes three months after Boeing’s Starliner, which was connected and launched to the space station, was found to have technical problems. NASA officials said there was a helium leak in the Boeing spacecraft’s reaction control thrusters, and NASA returned the spacecraft to Earth without a crew member earlier this month for safety reasons.
“Just three weeks ago, many of our teams were working hard to bring Starliner home. I would like to commend the NASA and Boeing teams for their diligence during (Boeing’s) flight tests. ,” NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Free said at a press conference Friday. “I want to thank SpaceX for getting us so close to launch. I look forward to everything this crew accomplishes.”
The Crew-9 mission was the first human spaceflight launch from Space Launch Complex – 40. SpaceX aircraft typically launch from Launch Pad 39A.
“We have two pads. We moved to a new launch pad. It’s great to have the flexibility to use the 39A or 40 for launches,” Bowersox said. “I’m really happy to see us do well in both pads.”
Haag, Gorbunov and other astronauts aboard the space station will conduct experiments focused on preparing for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and benefiting humans on Earth, NASA officials said. It is planned to be implemented. Some of the experiments include observing the behavior of flames on Earth, studying cells and platelets during long-duration spaceflights, and studying B vitamins that may reduce spaceflight-related neuro-ocular syndromes. Masu.
Crew-9 originally had two additional members, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, both of whom were at Kennedy Space Center on Saturday. NASA changed the crew size so there were two empty seats in the Freedom capsule to make room for Wilmore and Williams.
“It’s very impressive to see the professionalism of Nick and Alexandre’s astronaut team as they dealt with the necessary changes to cope with the ascent and prepare to integrate with the new crew.” Bowersox said. “But so are Xena and Stephanie, who gave up their seats for the mission. We want them to know that we’re going to find a place for them to fly. How hard can it be to give up your seat and wait a little longer?” I really appreciate it.”
NASA extended Wilmore and Williams’ stay on the space station to eight months, guaranteeing their safe return to Earth in the Freedom capsule instead of a defective Boeing Starliner. Willmore and Williams, along with Haag and Gorbunov, will return to Earth in the Freedom capsule after the mission ends in February 2025, NASA said.
NASA plans to fly astronauts around the moon with the Artemis II mission in September 2025, land the first astronauts near the moon’s south pole with the Artemis III mission in September 2026, and land the first astronauts near the moon’s south pole in 2028. plans to lift it to the Gateway Lunar Space Station.
Learn more about the Crew-9 mission here. Click here to learn more about Artemis Mission.
