SpaceX begins mission for Sunita, Wimore return from ISS

September 29, 2024 17:25

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore speak to medaipersons from ISS/@NASA/X

SpaceX launched a reduced two-man crew to the International Space Station on Saturday, carrying supplies and two empty seats for Starliner astronauts awaiting a return home in February after an unplanned eight-and-a-half-month stay in orbit, CBS News reported.

"A Falcon rocket took off from Florida on Saturday, carrying two astronauts and two empty seats to bring Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams back to Earth. Wilmore and Williams have been stranded in space since June due to issues with the Boeing Starliner," CBS News stated in a post on X.

As per the CBS News, the launch was delayed by two days due to high winds, rain, and clouds associated with Hurricane Helene.

Finally, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ignited and lifted off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1.17 pm EDT, following a north-easterly trajectory directly aligned with the ISS's orbital plane.

Inside the Crew Dragon "Freedom," commander Nick Hague, a seasoned NASA astronaut, monitored the automated ascent alongside Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, who was on his maiden flight.

Typically, Crew Dragons launch with four crew members; however, two Crew 9 astronauts--Stephanie Wilson and Zena Cardman--were removed from the mission in August to accommodate seats for Starliner commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and pilot Sunita Williams when Crew Dragon returns to Earth in February.

This mission marked the first piloted space flight from pad 40 and SpaceX's inaugural launch from the Space Force station, having previously conducted 14 Crew Dragon missions from the historic pad 39A at the nearby Kennedy Space Centre. -- ANI

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