SpaceX Crew-9 Launches to Bring Starliner Astronauts Home After Extended ISS Stay

SpaceX Crew-9 launches with two astronauts, reserving seats for Boeing Starliner crew stranded on ISS. Docking Sunday. Return scheduled for 2025.

Hurricane Delay and Successful Liftoff

SpaceX's Crew-9 mission finally launched on Saturday at 1:17 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, after a brief postponement caused by Hurricane Helene. Once the storm passed, teams quickly prepared the pad. The Falcon 9 rocket carried the Crew Dragon capsule named Freedom into orbit. About two and half minutes after launch, the first stage separated and landed back at the ground pad for reuse.

Starliner Astronauts' Extended Mission

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing's Starliner on a test flight that was meant to last about a week. However, helium leaks and thruster failures made NASA deem the spacecraft too risky for a crewed return. The astronauts have been living on the International Space Station far longer than planned. They are now scheduled to return with Crew-9 in 2025.

Crew-9's Unique Crew Composition

Unlike typical Commercial Crew missions that carry four astronauts, Crew-9 launched with just two: NASA's Nick Hague and Roscosmos's Aleksandr Gorbunov. Two empty seats on the Crew Dragon are reserved for Wilmore and Williams on their return trip. After launch, Hague told NASA's livestream, “Thank you guys… it was a sweet ride.” The capsule is expected to dock with the ISS around 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday.

Boeing's Starliner Setback

On September 6, Wilmore and Williams watched their Starliner capsule undock and return to Earth without them. NASA engineers spent months troubleshooting the spacecraft's problems but concluded there were too many unknowns to trust it for crew transport. When Boeing's Starliner will be ready for another crewed mission remains unclear. To accommodate the Starliner astronauts, NASA removed two originally assigned Crew-9 members—Stephanie Wilson and Zena Cardman. Cardman, who was slated to be mission commander on her first flight, handed that role to Nick Hague.

Life on the ISS

While waiting for their ride home, Wilmore and Williams have fully integrated into station operations. Williams has taken on the role of ISS commander, shifting from a test-flight schedule to full-time crew duties. Both astronauts are supporting scientific experiments and maintenance alongside the existing Expedition crew.

Looking Ahead: Return and Future of Commercial Crew

After docking, Hague and Gorbunov will join Wilmore and Williams for a months-long stay. Crew-9 highlights NASA's heavy reliance on SpaceX for crew rotations since 2020. In contrast, Boeing—awarded a parallel contract in 2014—continues to struggle with Starliner. The return of Wilmore and Williams is now set for 2025, capping an extended mission that tested both astronaut resilience and ground-team coordination.