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SpaceX Crew-9 is planned to be the ninth crewed operational NASA Commercial Crew flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft and the 15th overall crewed orbital flight. The mission is planned to launch no earlier than 18 August 2024.[1]
.jpg) Artists' impression of a Crew Dragon approaching the forward port of Harmony on the ISS. | |
| Names | USCV-9 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | ISS crew transport |
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Mission duration | 180 days (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Crew Dragon Freedom |
| Spacecraft type | Crew Dragon |
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 4 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | NET 18 August 2024 (planned)[1] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1085.1) |
| Launch site | Kennedy, LC-39A |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | February 2025 (planned) |
| Landing site | Pacific Ocean |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Docking with ISS | |
| Docking port | Harmony forward or zenith |
| Docking date | 19 August 2024 (planned) |
| Undocking date | February 2025 (planned) |
| Time docked | 180 days (planned) |
 SpaceX Crew-9 mission patch
| |
.jpg)
The Crew-9 mission will transport four crew members to the International Space Station (ISS). Three NASA astronauts—Zena Cardman, Nick Hague, and Stephanie Wilson—and one Roscosmos cosmonaut, Aleksandr Gorbunov, have been assigned to the mission.[1]
Crew
edit| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Spacecraft commander |  Zena Cardman, NASAExpedition 71 / 72 First spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Nick Hague, NASA Expedition 71 / 72 Second[a] spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Stephanie Wilson, NASA Expedition 71 / 72 Fourth spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 |  Aleksandr Gorbunov, RoscosmosExpedition 71 / 72 First spaceflight | |
Mission
editThe ninth SpaceX operational mission in the Commercial Crew Program is scheduled to launch in August 2024.[1]
The mission will end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, a first for a Crew Dragon mission. While Dragon 1 missions had previously landed in the Pacific, SpaceX and NASA had shifted recovery operations to the East Coast in 2019. The move allowed astronauts and critical cargo to return to Kennedy Space Center more quickly after spashdown, and SpaceX opened a facility in Florida to take in capsules after flight and prepare them for the next mission. However, the move had an unforeseen consequence, the trunk module had to be jettisoned before reentry and while the team expected it would burn up, SpaceX became aware of at least four cases of trunk debris being found on land. The shift back to Pacific Ocean splashdowns means that the trunk can stay attached longer and be directed towards a remote area of the ocean (nicknamed the Spacecraft cemetery) where any debris that survives reentry will be unlikely to cause damage.[2][3]
Notes
edit- ^ Not counting the aborted flight of Soyuz MS-10.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "NASA, SpaceX Invite Media to Watch Crew-9 Launch to Space Station". NASA (Press release). 17 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ Robinson-Smith, Will (26 July 2024). "NASA holds briefings on Crew 9 mission as SpaceX nears return to flight". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Dragon Recovery to Return to the U.S. West Coast". SpaceX. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
