Washington: Astronauts Nick Hague of NASA and Aleksandr Gorbunov of Roscosmos are scheduled to set off on a mission to save fellow space traveler Sunita Williams, an astronaut of Indian descent, from the depths of space.
It is currently planned for NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to return to Earth in February 2025 onboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon space capsule. The astronauts have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for months owing to technical problems with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
NASA astronaut Nick Hague will lead the Crew-9 mission, which will launch a rescue attempt to return Williams and Wilmore from orbit, while Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will function as the mission specialist. Due to Tropical Storm Helene, the Crew-9 mission, which was originally slated to launch on September 26, was delayed until September 28.
The following is what is known about cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and astronaut Nick Hague:
Who is Nick Hague ?
NASA picked Tyler N. Hague, a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and flight test engineer, in 2013 and he completed his maiden spaceflight on the International Space Station (ISS) during Expedition 59 in 2019. Hague is an experienced astronaut who has been part of numerous significant NASA spacewalk missions.
Nick Hague, who has a master’s degree in astronautics and engineering from MIT and a bachelor’s degree from the US Force Academy, is well-known for having completed two spacewalks to replace the ISS batteries. In 2018, the seasoned astronaut also made it out of a cancelled Soyuz mission.
Who is Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov ?
Aleksandr Gorbunov, a Russian cosmonaut, has been involved in spaceflight for almost 20 years. During his two main space missions, he acquired over 360 days of space time.
Gorbunov, who was born on August 12, 1970, completed his first mission in 2010–2011 on the Soyuz TMA–28. In 2018, he went on his second trip on board the Soyuz MS-09.
Mission to save Sunita Williams
On September 28 (Saturday), Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbunov, pilots of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, will take out for orbit from Cape Canaveral orbit Force Station in Florida using Space Launch Complex-40. As part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the two spaceflight veterans will go to the International Space Station where they will conduct research and carry out crucial maintenance duties throughout the course of their five-month stay.
The two will be traveling down to Earth with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for many months owing to technical difficulties.
NASA said that severe weather caused the Crew-9 mission, which was scheduled to launch on September 26, to be postponed.
NASA had said in a statement that “high winds and heavy rain are expected in the Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island regions on Florida’s east coast, even though Tropical Storm Helene is moving through the Gulf of Mexico and expected to impact the Florida panhandle.”
