NASA/Keegan Barber
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov embarked on a five-month journey to the International Space Station, blasting off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule on Saturday.
The two-person crew blasted off atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket at 1:17 pm EDT (17:17 UTC), seizing a brief window of clear weather amidst stormy skies to begin their ascent into orbit. Nine kerosene-fueled Merlin engines propelled the primary stage of the flight, departing from Cape Canaveral on a northeast trajectory before separating and returning for a safe landing. Meanwhile, the Falcon 9’s upper stage boosted SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft into orbit.
The mayor described the trip as a sweet adventure upon his arrival in the region. Hague and Gorbunov are poised for a smooth landing at the orbiting outpost around 5:30 pm EDT (21:30 UTC) on Sunday, as their mission appears to be unfolding with precision.
Empty seats
SpaceX launched its 15th crew mission since 2020 on Saturday, marking the company’s 10th astronaut lift-off for NASA – but this particular launch stood out in several ways.
“This mission poses unique challenges that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on many of us,” said Ken Bowersox, NASA’s associate administrator for human exploration and operations.
Two people entered orbit for the first time aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, marking a departure from the usual quartet of astronauts that typically venture into space. The initial crew for the Crew-9 mission, which has gained widespread recognition, consisted of Hague, Gorbunov, mission commander Zena Cardman, and NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson.
Despite the issues surrounding Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, its recent test flight has thrown a significant obstacle in front of NASA’s ambitions. The Starliner spacecraft successfully launched in June, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard. Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft successfully docked at the International Space Station, but its maiden voyage was marred by a series of technical issues, including faulty thrusters and a leak of helium gas, prompting NASA officials to deem it too hazardous to attempt a return journey with the crew on board.
In 2014, NASA awarded SpaceX and Boeing lucrative contracts to develop commercial crew vehicles capable of transporting astronauts safely to and from the International Space Station. In a major breakthrough, SpaceX successfully flew astronauts for the first time in 2020, while Boeing achieved the same milestone with its test flight launching in June.
On September 6, they concluded their season with a triumphant touchdown in New Mexico. Despite the mission’s successful completion, Wilmore and Williams remained at the area station alongside the lab’s permanent crew of seven astronauts and cosmonauts. At the International Space Station, the crew successfully configured two short-term seats within a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft currently berthed at the outpost, designed for Starliner astronauts to return home in the unlikely event of an emergency evacuation from the complex.
NASA/Kim Shiflett
NASA has opted to adjust its plans, allowing the Dragon spacecraft to return to Earth with six individuals, as a temporary measure to accommodate Wilmore and Williams, who will return home in February on Crew-9. To achieve this, NASA officials decided to remove two astronauts from the subsequent SpaceX crew mission, thereby freeing up regular seats for the duo’s safe return.
The decision to autonomously return the Starliner spacecraft to Earth without its crew had significant, far-reaching implications for International Space Station (ISS) operations. NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston faced a critical decision: how to allocate personnel for optimal team performance?
Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov successfully retained their spots on the Crew-9 mission. NASA announced that Hague would assume command of Crew-9 after initial training as a pilot, following the assignment change that replaced Commander Zena Cardman with him. Colonel Hague, a seasoned veteran at 49 years old, has spent time aboard the Worldwide House Station, where he successfully completed one extended mission. This experience was also shaped by his involvement in a high-profile incident, following a malfunction of a Russian Soyuz rocket.
NASA unveiled the diverse astronaut lineup for the Crew-9 mission in January. Meet Cardman, a seasoned 36-year-old geobiologist, poised to make history as the first rookie astronaut to lead a NASA spaceflight, leveraging his piloting skills and extensive experience to command the mission. Noted astronaut Stephanie Wilson, a three-time area shuttle veteran, became the most distant astronaut from the Crew-9 mission at 58 years old.
According to Karen Bowersox, who heads NASA’s spaceflight operations directorate, the selection of crew members for Crew-9 was a “closed door” process. As they contemplated sending Zena aloft, the gravity of the situation became clear; it seemed logical to entrust someone with at least one prior flight experience.
Russian aerospace engineer Gorbunov, 34 years old and embarking on his maiden journey, slid into the pilot’s seat of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, despite being officially classified as a mission specialist. The Russian cosmonaut’s continued presence onboard was predetermined, owing to a historic agreement between NASA and Russia’s space agency, which ensures the exchange of seats between Russian cosmonauts on US crew missions and US astronauts on Russian Soyuz flights to the International Space Station.
Bowersox stated that NASA plans to reassign both Cardman and Wilson to upcoming missions.
Operational flexibility
This marked the inaugural astronaut departure from Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral, solidifying SLC-40 as SpaceX’s most active launch site. SpaceX has equipped its launch pad with the critical infrastructure necessary for human spaceflight missions aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft, including a towering structure exceeding 200 feet in height and a crew entry arm, designed to facilitate astronaut boarding atop Falcon 9 rockets.
Initially, SLC-40 featured a “clean pad” design, devoid of any structures to support or accommodate vertical Falcon 9 rockets while they were being serviced. SpaceX has incorporated slide chutes into its operations, granting astronauts and ground personnel a swift emergency evacuation path away from the launchpad in case of an unexpected event.
In 2020, SpaceX successfully built and completed the Crew Tower, preparing for the historic launch of its first operational crewed mission. Saturday’s inaugural launch from Space Launch Complex 40 successfully validated its capabilities in supporting SpaceX astronaut missions, marking a milestone as the primary departure point for such endeavors to date, having previously all taken off from Launch Complex-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, just a few miles north of SLC-40.
By bringing online the human spaceflight launch capability at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), SpaceX and NASA can enjoy greater scheduling flexibility, paving the way for more efficient mission planning and execution. At present, LC-39A remains the singularly configured launch pad supporting missions for SpaceX’s iconic Falcon Heavy rocket. SpaceX is gearing up LC-39A for a mission, with a narrow window of only several weeks to launch this year and reach its destination at Jupiter by 2030.
Now that the Space Launch System 40 has been licensed for astronaut launches, SpaceX and NASA teams can collaborate on supporting the Crew-9 and Europa Clipper missions without any scheduling constraints. The Florida-based spaceport boasts a trio of licensed launch pads for crewed missions, with two dedicated to SpaceX’s Dragon and one reserved for Boeing’s Starliner, while NASA is set to introduce a fourth human-rated launch pad with its Artemis II lunar expedition scheduled for late next year?
NASA’s Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy observed, “That’s fairly thrilling.” “I envision a mirrored reflection of our current situation within the NASA area program, mirroring not only our local context but also the advanced technological capabilities the United States has cultivated.”
During a pre-launch dress rehearsal, Hague and Gorbunov capitalized on their opportunity to become acquainted with the Space Launch Complex (SLC)-40 facility. Although sharing the same capabilities as LC-39A, the launch pad has a distinct format. SpaceX successfully conducted an additional test-firing of its Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday evening, prior to horizontally rotating and transferring it back into a hangar for secure storage as the outer bands of Hurricane Helene swept through Central Florida.
In the hangar, SpaceX engineers discovered soot-like residue from the Falcon 9’s engines deposited onto the surface of the Dragon spacecraft during a recent test-firing exercise. Teams scrubbed away soot from the spacecraft’s photovoltaic arrays and heat shield, before reapplying a fresh coat to select sections of the capsule’s radiators along Dragon’s trunk component, and then rolled the vehicle back to the launch pad on Friday.
“To optimize radiative heat transfer, it was crucial that we reapportioned the radiators to direct warmth towards the correct zones, necessitating a fresh coat of paint to recalibrate emissivity, reflectivity, and absorptivity for efficient photovoltaic energy harvesting.”
Gerstenmaier elaborated on a novel contingency plan for the Crew Dragon’s splashdown, ensuring a safe return to Earth in the unlikely event that all its parachutes malfunction during re-entry. Utilizing its eight potent SuperDraco thrusters, typically reserved for extraordinary launch abort situations, SpaceX fires the engines for mere seconds to deliberately slow down Dragon’s descent, ensuring a safe splashdown.
SpaceX
“When all else fails, a primary backup plan kicks in: firing the thrusters at the very end,” Gerstenmaier explained. “That primary advantage provides the crew with a chance to make a safe landing and quickly evacuate the aircraft.” It’s not employed in any limited capacities. The aircraft will make a controlled descent with the deployment of its sole remaining parachute. We anticipate experiencing a range of malfunctions within the chute system during landing. In the unlikely event that all four parachutes fail to deploy.
In 2011, when designing the Crew Dragon spacecraft, SpaceX initially envisioned using the SuperDraco thrusters to enable propulsive, helicopter-like landing capabilities for the capsule. Ultimately, SpaceX and NASA decided to switch to a more conventional parachute-assisted splashdown.
As the mission went awry, the SuperDracos, autonomous thrusters onboard the Crew Dragon, kicked in to steer the capsule safely away from the crippled Falcon 9 rocket following a catastrophic launch failure. The eight high-thrust engines utilise a combination of hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide as their propellant, which combusts upon contact to generate thrust.
The backup option was employed in certain previous commercial Crew Dragon flights, excluding those operated by NASA, as per Gerstenmaier’s guidance. The aptitude offers a decent landing spot for the team, he noted. “So this represents a profound, utterly contingent situation.” I firmly believe that our philosophy is: rather than having a system you don’t use, even if it’s not entirely licensed, it provides the team with an opportunity to escape from a very, extremely unhealthy situation.
NASA’s Business and Crew Program Supervisor Steve Stich revealed that the emergency propulsive landing capability will be activated for the upcoming Crew-8 mission’s safe return to Earth, after being stationed at the International Space Station since March? As the Crew-8 mission prepares to conclude, with the arrivals of Hague and Gorbunov on Crew-9, as well as the extended stay of Wilmore and Williams, the stage is set for an early October departure from the orbiting outpost, followed by a splashdown on Earth.
The success of the launch was subsequently updated in the story.
