Hague and Gorbunov to Fly Crew-9 Mission to ISS

Veteran Astronaut Hague, Rookie Cosmonaut Gorbunov to Join Crew-9

NASA astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann and JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata will join Hague and Gorbunov aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for the Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station.

Launch Date and Mission Highlights

The Crew-9 mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than September 23, 2023, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will mark the ninth crewed flight of a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft to the ISS.

During their approximately six-month stay aboard the ISS, the Crew-9 astronauts will conduct a variety of research experiments, spacewalks, and maintenance tasks. They will also support the arrival and departure of other visiting spacecraft, including cargo vehicles and future crewed missions.

Astronaut Biographies

Nicole Aunapu Mann

Nicole Aunapu Mann is a NASA astronaut and the first Native American woman to fly to space. She previously served as a test pilot for the U.S. Navy and worked as a commercial airline pilot before joining NASA in 2013.

Koichi Wakata

Koichi Wakata is a JAXA astronaut and a veteran of four space missions. He has spent a total of 347 days in space, making him the most experienced Japanese astronaut. Wakata will serve as the commander of the Crew-9 mission.

Oleg Artemyev

Oleg Artemyev is a Russian cosmonaut and a veteran of two space missions. He has spent a total of 560 days in space, including a year-long mission aboard the ISS in 2018-2019. Artemyev will serve as the flight engineer for the Crew-9 mission.

Denis Matveyev

Denis Matveyev is a Russian cosmonaut and a rookie astronaut. He will be making his first flight to space on the Crew-9 mission. Matveyev is a research scientist and a former test pilot.

Mission Significance

The Crew-9 mission is an important step in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon by 2025. The mission will provide valuable experience and data that will help NASA prepare for future Artemis missions.

The Crew-9 mission is also a testament to the growing international cooperation in space exploration. The mission includes astronauts from the United States, Japan, and Russia, and it will build on the success of previous joint missions to the ISS.