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On the afternoon of Saturday, September 28, 2024, SpaceX successfully launched NASA’s Crew-9 mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 1:17 PM EDT, with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard the Dragon spacecraft, Freedom, on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This launch was the first crewed mission to use the newly installed crew access arm at Space Launch Complex 40.

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The primary objective of Crew-9 is to transport Hague and Gorbunov to the ISS, where they will conduct scientific research and participate in station maintenance for approximately five months. Additionally, this mission is crucial as it will bring back NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been on the ISS since June due to a lack of confidence in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft​, which return to Earth empty out of an abundance of caution by NASA officials.

The launch’s first stage, Booster B1085, successfully returned to Earth, landing at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral. However, the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket experienced an anomaly during its deorbit burn, landing outside its intended ocean designated area. Despite this issue, the Dragon spacecraft separated smoothly from the second stage and continued its journey​.

On Sunday, September 29, 2024, the Dragon crew capsule Freedom docked with the ISS at 5:30 PM EDT as scheduled. The crew aboard the ISS warmly welcomed Hague and Gorbunov, and the hatches between the two spacecraft were opened a little over an hour later, marking the start of their extended mission.