NASA-SpaceX mission to bring back Sunita Williams on way to ISS

The NASA-SpaceX spacecraft, carrying Crew-9 members NASA astronaut Nick Hague (commander) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov (mission specialist), was on its way to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, in a mission that aims to bring stranded Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams back to Earth in February next year.

The NASA-SpaceX mission safely reached orbit, after it was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission is significant as it marks the first human spaceflight to launch from Space Launch Complex-40.

“SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station (ISS). The new crew arrives at the orbiting lab Sunday, Sept. 29, for a five-month science mission,” NASA posted on X social media platform.

The targeted docking time is approximately 5:30 p.m. Sunday (3.30 am Monday India time), according to NASA.

The Crew-9 members will have two empty seats for NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams will fill when the spacecraft returns next year.

The Crew-9 was initially expected to launch on Thursday but was postponed due to poor weather conditions due to hurricane Helene, currently impacting the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Williams and Willmore travelled to the ISS on an eight-day sojourn on the faulty Boeing’s Starliner. While the Starliner was declared unfit for human travel by NASA, and it returned safely to Earth, the astronaut duo are stuck in space.

For the first time since May 2020 test flight, SpaceX launched two astronauts to the ISS on a Dragon spacecraft.

In a bid to make room for Williams and Willmore in the orbiting lab, NASA had pulled out two other Crew-9 members -- commander Zena Cardman and three-time shuttle flier Stephanie Wilson.