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NASA has announced that the SpaceX Crew-9 mission will conduct the return of four International Space Station (ISS) astronauts on Tuesday, March 18. NASA has adjusted the SpaceX Crew-9 mission schedule to occur earlier than Wednesday to prevent deteriorating atmospheric conditions throughout the upcoming week.
The ISS mission crew members consist of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Nick Hague, together with Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The crew returns from the International Space Station to close out an extended mission where several astronauts stayed on the ISS for over nine months.
The extended ISS mission occurred when NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore stayed beyond their original brief stay because problems with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft forced them to remain on station. The spacecraft serving as their return vehicle remained grounded because propulsion malfunctions occurred. Their prolonged stay on the ISS became substantially longer due to this delay. The anticipated homecoming to Earth will end their unexpectedly strayed mission.
The Crew-9 mission team will depend heavily on SpaceX because its Dragon capsule will serve as the spacecraft for a safe Earth return. The Crew-9 mission travels with the SpaceX Dragon capsule for a return to Earth after undocking from ISS at 5:57 PM ET on March 18. The spaceship will enter Earth's atmosphere following undocking before it returns to Florida for an aquatic landing.NASA needs to perform the space mission landing sooner to prevent weather risks that could delay the landing timing.
After examining the weather forecast, NASA teams and SpaceX mission leadership determined an early return of astronauts. The crew now has enough time to execute their handover tasks at the ISS and improve safety for their return. The timing adjustment provides NASA and SpaceX additional operational freedom because it eliminates concerns about potential weather problems during the ensuing week. The Earth landing is scheduled for 5:57 PM ET to signify the end of this extended mission duration.
