Editor’s note: This press release was updated twice on August 30, 2024. First, the role of Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov as mission specialist was corrected. Another time, a launch date was corrected.
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov will launch on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, who were previously announced as crew members, may be reassigned to a future mission.
Hague and Gorbunov will fly to the space station as commander and mission specialist, respectively, on a two-crew flight aboard a SpaceX Dragon.
The updated crew size follows NASA’s decision to return the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test uncrewed and launch Crew-9 with two unoccupied seats. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June, will fly home with Hague and Gorbunov in February 2025.
The decision to fly Hague was made by NASA chief astronaut Joe Acaba at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Acaba had to strike a compromise between using a NASA crew member with spaceflight experience to lead the flight while ensuring that NASA maintained an integrated crew with a Roscosmos cosmonaut capable of operating the critical systems for continuous, safe station operations.
“We have changed crew before for a variety of reasons, but downsizing the crew for this flight was another difficult decision as the crew was trained as a four-person crew,” said Acaba. “I have complete confidence in our entire crew, who did an excellent job throughout the training for the mission. Zena and Stephanie will continue to support their crewmates prior to launch and they are an example of what it means to be a professional astronaut.”
The agency will announce details regarding the reassignment of Cardman and Wilson as soon as they are available.
“I am extremely proud of our entire crew,” said Cardman, “and I am confident that Nick and Alex will excel in their roles. All four of us remain committed to the success of this mission, and Stephanie and I look forward to flying when the time is right.”
Wilson added: “I know Nick and Alex will do a great job on board the International Space Station as part of Expedition 72.”
After 203 days in space, this is Hague’s third launch and second mission to the orbital laboratory. On his first launch in October 2018, Hague and crewmate Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos experienced a rocket engine failure, resulting in an in-flight abort, ballistic reentry, and safe landing in their Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft. Five months later, Hague launched aboard Soyuz MS-12 and served as a flight engineer aboard the space station during Expeditions 59 and 60. Hague conducted three spacewalks to upgrade the space station’s power systems and install a commercial spacecraft docking adapter. As an active-duty colonel in the U.S. Space Force, Hague completed a development rotation at the Department of Defense and served as the Space Force’s test and evaluation chief from 2020 to 2022. In August 2022, Hague resumed work at NASA and worked on the Boeing Starliner program until this flight deployment. Follow @astrohague on X and Instagram.
This will be Gorbunov’s first trip to space and to the station. He was born in Zheleznogorsk in the Kursk region of Russia. He studied engineering at the Moscow Aviation Institute, majoring in spacecraft and advanced degrees. Gorbunov graduated from the military faculty with a specialization in the operation and repair of aircraft, helicopters and aircraft engines. Before being selected as a cosmonaut in 2018, he worked as an engineer for Rocket Space Corp. Energia, supporting the launch of cargo spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Hague and Gorbonov will be members of the Expedition 72 crew aboard the space station. Together with Wilmore, Williams, NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexei Ovchinin and Ivan Wagner, they will conduct scientific research and maintenance work during the 24th year of continuous human presence on the space station.
For more information about the research and operations of the International Space Station, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
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Josh Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
[email protected] / [email protected]
Courtney Beasley
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
[email protected]
