Liftoff of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 Mission | International Space Station

Liftoff of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 Mission | International Space Station

Commander Nick Hague of NASA and Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov of Roscosmos (Russia) successfully lifted off aboard their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket at 1:17 p.m. EDT on Saturday, September 28, 2024 from Cape Canaveral. 

The Dragon duo are on a 28.5 hour ride in low Earth orbit before docking to the Harmony module’s forward port at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. Hague and Gorbunov will open the hatch about an hour-and-a-half later and join Expedition 72 before returning to Earth after a 5-month mission in February 2025. 

The Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission previously flew the Crew-4, Ax-2, and Ax-3 missions to and from the International Space Station. 

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage landed on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral.

During their time on the orbiting laboratory, the Crew-9 will conduct over 200 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and to benefit humanity on Earth.

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Video Credit: NASA/SpaceX

Duration: 32 seconds

Capture Date: Sept. 28, 2024

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