NASA has made a significant change to the crew for its upcoming SpaceX Crew-9 mission, scheduled for launch on September 24, 2024. The space agency has reassigned a new set of astronauts to lead the mission, with Astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov now serving as the commander and mission specialist, respectively, for the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
This shift in crew composition comes after the agency’s decision to launch Crew-9 with two vacant seats, a decision stemming from an uncrewed Boeing Crew Flight Test. NASA’s chief astronaut, Joe Acaba, explained the reasoning behind the crew changes, emphasizing the need for a cohesive team that includes a Roscosmos cosmonaut for seamless and effective space station operations.
The original Crew-9 team included Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, who have been reassigned to future missions. Hague and Gorbunov will now join Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June, and are slated to return to Earth alongside Hague and Gorbunov in February 2025.
While acknowledging that reducing the crew size was a difficult decision, especially given the original training with a crew of four, Chief Astronaut Acaba expressed full confidence in the newly assigned crew’s capabilities.
Cardman, reflecting on the change, expressed pride and confidence in Hague and Gorbunov, stating, “I am confident Nick and Alex will step into their roles with excellence. All four of us remain dedicated to the success of this mission, and Stephanie and I look forward to flying when the time is right.”
Hague, who will be embarking on his third spaceflight, brings substantial experience to the mission. His first launch in October 2018 was unfortunately aborted due to a rocket failure, but he successfully reached the International Space Station (ISS) in March 2019. Having logged over 200 days in space, Hague has participated in crucial spacewalks and served as the Space Force’s director of test and evaluation prior to returning to NASA.
Gorbunov, making his inaugural spaceflight, possesses a background in engineering and prior experience supporting spacecraft launches.
As members of the Expedition 72 crew, Hague and Gorbunov will join Wilmore, Williams, NASA astronaut Don Pettit, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner to continue essential scientific research at the ISS. This mission marks a significant step forward in international collaboration and exploration of space.
