NASA SpaceX Crew-9 launch details: When, where to watch live stream as Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore make their way to Earth

NASA will launch the SpaceX Crew-9 mission on Saturday. This mission will bring astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth. They have been on the International Space Station (ISS) since June. The launch is set for 1:17 pm EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Live coverage of the event will start at 9:00 am EDT on NASA''s official website, NASA+, and YouTube. This will be the first crewed launch from Space Launch Complex-40. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS at around 5:30 pm EDT on Monday.

As part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, the mission includes astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The launch, initially scheduled for September 26, was delayed due to Hurricane Helene.



NASA had posted on X that "managers from NASA and SpaceX were discussing the planned September 28 launch of the Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station, along with a weather update provided by Space Launch Delta 45."


The mission aims to transport Hague and Gorbunov to the ISS for five months and ensure the safe return of Williams and Wilmore. Hague and Gorbunov will stay until February, aligning with the next crew rotation. Originally, astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were part of Crew-9. They were removed to make room for the returning astronauts.

Williams and Wilmore traveled to the ISS in June on Boeing’s Starliner capsule for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission. Their stay extended due to the Starliner having thruster issues. Recently, NASA returned the Starliner uncrewed for further assessment.