NASA and SpaceX have postponed the launch of their next crew mission to the International Space Station (ISS) due to the impending threat of Hurricane Helene. Initially slated for this week, the launch has been rescheduled to at least Saturday, September 28, as the storm is forecasted to strengthen and move toward the Gulf of Mexico, potentially impacting the Florida coast.
With winds expected to reach hurricane levels, NASA has emphasised the need for caution, citing the extensive wind field associated with the storm.The upcoming Crew-9 mission will feature NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, both currently in quarantine at Kennedy Space Center.
Hurricane Helene impacts Crew-9 launch timeline
Hurricane Helene is expected to grow into a Category 3 hurricane by Thursday, with a wind field projected to extend 250 miles. The storm is set to impact the Florida panhandle, resulting in high winds and heavy rain across Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island.
NASA stated in a post on its website, “Although Tropical Storm Helene is moving through the Gulf of Mexico, the storm system is large enough to cause significant weather conditions along the east coast of Florida.”
SpaceX aims to launch the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon Freedom on Saturday, targeting a lift-off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1:17 p.m. Backup launch windows are available from Sunday to Tuesday if needed.
This delay allows teams to complete a rehearsal of launch day activities on Tuesday night with the spacecraft and rocket, which will return to the hangar after the rehearsal to safeguard against potential storm impacts.
The Crew-9 mission
Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronaut Nick Hague are on board the Crew-9 mission. The two astronauts are being held in quarantine at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Centre after their arrival on Saturday.
To enable NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who are already on the ISS after a previous Boeing Starliner trip, to return, Crew-9 is operating with just two astronauts.
Crew Dragon mission history
Crew-9 represents SpaceX’s ninth operational mission under the Commercial Crew Program since the initial test flight, Demo-2, in 2020. To date, SpaceX has launched its Crew Dragon fleet 14 times, transporting 54 people into orbit, including two astronauts on repeat missions.
The upcoming launch will mark the fourth flight for Crew Dragon Freedom, which has previously completed missions for both NASA and private company Axiom Space. Notably, this will also be the first human spaceflight from SLC-40, following the construction of a crew access arm to facilitate crewed missions on the Space Coast.
Also read: Who is Aleksandr Vladimirovich Gorbunov, the Russian cosmonaut rescuing Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore?