It is operated by NASA in conjunction with Elon Musk’s SpaceX; expected return date is February 2025
An operation of NASAtogether with the SpaceX, launched a rocket this Saturday (September 28, 2024) with the aim of rescuing two astronauts “trapped” on the ISS (acronym in English for International Space Station).
The takeoff of the “Crew-9” mission” departed from Cape Canaveral, Florida (United States), at 2:17 pm (Brasília time).
The capsule, named “Crew Dragon”transports astronauts Nick Hague, from NASA, and Aleksandr Gorbunov, from Roscosmos, with 2 more vacant seats.
It is scheduled to autonomously dock with the Space Station after 28.5 hours of flight, on Sunday (September 29). The crew is expected to return in February 2025.
Watch takeoff (56s):
Astronauts “arrested” in space
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, sent to the ISS on June 5, 2024 in Boeing’s Starliner capsule, are “trapped” in space for about 3 months.
The mission, planned to last 8 days, was extended due to technical failures in the spacecraft.
Including thruster failures and helium leaks, the astronauts’ return was delayed 3 times, forcing the spacecraft to return to Earth empty on September 6.
The astronauts were awaiting rescue in critical conditions. The spacecraft could remain in space for up to 72 days in cases of emergency. The deadline expired on August 16th.
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