SpaceX’s Dragon Capsule, which brought Unita Williams back to Earth, has now docked with the International Space Station. In this mission named Crew-9, American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian astronaut Alexander Gorbunov have gone. Sunita herself welcomed him. Along with them, Sunita and Butch will return to Earth in February 2025. Currently, there are 11 people on the space station.
NASA SpaceX’s Expedition-72 i.e. Crew-9 mission has reached the International Space Station (ISS). American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian astronaut Alexander Gorbunov arrive at the space station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon Crew spacecraft. Sunita Williams herself welcomed him. Sunita Williams herself welcomed him.
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11 astronauts present at the space station:
At present, there are 11 astronauts present at the space station. Nick and Gorbunov will return to Earth in the Dragon capsule in February 2025. Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will also come with him. Till then these people will remain at the space station. There were already 9 people on the space station, now after the departure of Nick and Gorbunov there are 9+2=11.
Four people were going in the first Crew-9 mission. Mission Commander Jenna Cardman, Pilot Nick Hague, Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson, and Mission Specialist Alexander Gorbunov. But Jenna Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were stopped to bring Sunita-Butch back. He will be sent to the space station on the next mission.
The Crew-9 mission was launched from Cape Canaveral on September 28 using a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket via Dragon capsule. In this mission, only two male astronauts Alexander Gorbunov and pilot Nick Hague were sent to the space station. Who is now at the space station? Nick Hague was made the mission commander only for this mission. Earlier he was just a pilot. Whereas no changes were made to Alexander’s profile.
The Crew-9 mission’s Dragon capsule was the first to dock there with the space station. Starliner had already been sent to Earth to connect the Dragon capsule to the space station. Now the Dragon capsule is docked at the same location.
It is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The space station has 9 rotational missions in collaboration with SpaceX. So research on the space station continues. The world should continue to get accurate weather information. For more than two decades, there has been an astronaut on board the International Space Station at all times. He has never been empty. That is why astronauts have been continuously sent there.