The Spacecraft That Will Rescue Boeing Astronauts Is Prepared for Liftoff. With It, SpaceX Will Debut a New Launch Tower

SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission is different from the previous eight flights. This time, the Crew Dragon spacecraft will go to the International Space Station with two empty seats and two spare suits to bring back Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. NASA’s astronauts had to stay in space due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

When will it launch? Crew-9’s launch is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28 from the SLC-40 pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This will be the first time this launch complex, owned by the Space Force, has been used to launch astronauts.

In preparation for launching its manned spacecraft from SLC-40, SpaceX has built a new tower with an access bridge. Additionally, it has installed a very long slide as an emergency escape system for astronauts, which was one of NASA’s requirements for pad certification.

Furthermore, NASA will use the Crew Dragon “Freedom,” which has already flown three times. It’ll take off on a Falcon 9 rocket that has flown twice.

Who’s on board? The Crew-9 mission was originally scheduled for Aug. 18 with four people aboard. The Dragon spacecraft would’ve been commanded by U.S. astronaut Zena Cardman, who was set to fly into space for the first time at age 36. However, NASA ended up delaying the launch to prioritize rescuing the Boeing astronauts.

Despite being the original commander, Cardman was removed from the mission to allow a more experienced person to take charge: Nick Hague, who has flown on two Soyuz spacecraft. With only one more seat available, Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov was chosen due to NASA’s Crew Dragon-Soyuz “seat swap” program with Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency.

What happened to Starliner? Boeing’s spacecraft failed its final certification test. It was supposed to spend a week docked to the ISS before returning to Earth with astronauts Wilmore and Williams. However, it stayed for three months and returned empty.

NASA considered the Starliner spacecraft unsafe for bringing astronauts back after five thrusters failed during its approach to the ISS. Despite conducting numerous tests, Boeing was unable to provide NASA with a convincing explanation for the failure and assure that the return would be safe. Eventually, the spacecraft returned without major problems, but Wilmore and Williams were left in space awaiting Crew-9.

What’s the plan? Wilmore and Williams have become part of the permanent crew of the ISS. They were part of Expedition 71 first and are now part of Expedition 72. In fact, Williams has become the de facto ISS commander following Olog Kononenko’s departure.

Crew-9 will follow the original plan and return in February 2025, except that Wilmore and Williams will also be on board. This is why the Crew Dragon spacecraft will launch with two empty seats. Additionally, since the Boeing suits aren’t compatible with Crew Dragon, SpaceX’s spacecraft will bring extra suits.

Image | SpaceX

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