NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Flight Day 2 Highlights - Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexsandr Gorbunov autonomously docked to the forward-facing port of the Harmony module of the International Space Station at TIME on Sept. 29 following a launch the day before on the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following docking, the duo opened the hatch and floated onboard the orbital outpost before providing welcoming remarks as their mission aboard the space station began. The crew members will conduct a long-duration science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars. Upon return, Hague and Gorbunov will be joined by NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams in the two open seats.