NASA shuffles crew-9 to return starliner team

NASA removes two astronauts from SpaceX Crew-9 mission to make room for two other astronauts

LOS ANGELES:

NASA has removed two astronauts from upcoming SpaceX Crew-9 mission to make room for two other astronauts awaiting ride back home at the International Space Station (ISS), the agency said on Friday.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will launch no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24, on the Crew-9 mission to ISS. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, previously announced as crewmates, will be reassigned on a future mission, according to NASA.

The updated crew complement followed NASA's decision to return the Boeing Crew Flight Test uncrewed and launch Crew-9 with two unoccupied seats.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who launched aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in June, will fly home with Hague and Gorbunov in February 2025.