SpaceX Crew-9

SpaceX Crew-9 was the ninth operational NASA Commercial Crew Program flight and the 15th crewed orbital flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft. Originally scheduled to carry a crew of four to the International Space Station (ISS) in mid-August 2024, the mission was delayed by more than a month by problems with the Boeing Starliner Calypso spacecraft that was docked at the ISS for the Boeing Crew Flight Test. NASA decided to send the Starliner back to Earth uncrewed, launch Crew-9 with two crew members, and return with four crew members, including the two crew members of the Boeing Crew Flight Test. After that delay and other delays largely due to weather, Crew-9 launched on 28 September at 17:17:21 UTC (1:17:21 pm EDT, local time at the launch site).

The Crew-9 mission marked several milestones. It was the first crewed mission to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40; astronaut Nick Hague was the first active U.S. Space Force Guardian to launch to space; and the mission was the last Dragon capsule to splash down in the eastern United States.