NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are scheduled to launch as early as September 24, aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This crew update comes after NASA decided to return its Boeing Crew Flight Test uncrewed and proceed with Crew-9, leaving two seats unoccupied. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June, will return to Earth alongside Hague and Gorbunov in February 2025, according to a NASA press release.
Astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, previously announced as part of the Crew-9 team, are now eligible for reassignment to a future mission. Hague will serve as the mission commander and Gorbunov as the mission specialist on their two-member flight aboard the SpaceX Dragon.
The decision to select Hague for the mission was made by NASA’s chief astronaut Joe Acaba at Johnson Space Center, Houston. Acaba’s choice balanced the need for an experienced NASA astronaut to command the flight with the necessity of having a Roscosmos cosmonaut to manage critical ISS systems for continued safe operations. “Although we’ve changed crews for various reasons before, reducing the crew size for this mission was a difficult adjustment since they had trained as a team of four,” Acaba said. He expressed full confidence in the crew and praised their professionalism throughout the mission’s training. He also highlighted that Zena and Stephanie will continue assisting their crewmates ahead of the launch, embodying the qualities of a professional astronaut.
Cardman expressed her pride in the team, saying, “I am deeply proud of our entire crew, and I am confident Nick and Alex will step into their roles with excellence. All four of us remain dedicated to the success of this mission, and Stephanie and I look forward to flying when the time is right.” Wilson added, “I know Nick and Alex will do a great job with their work aboard the ISS as part of Expedition 72.”
This mission will be Hague’s third trip to space, following his previous experiences, including a dramatic in-flight rocket booster failure during his 2018 launch, which resulted in an emergency abort and safe landing. He later successfully launched on Soyuz MS-12, serving as a flight engineer for ISS Expeditions 59 and 60. Hague, a colonel in the U.S. Space Force, has also conducted three spacewalks to upgrade ISS systems and install a docking adapter for commercial spacecraft. He resumed duties at NASA in 2022 after working with the U.S. Department of Defense and the Boeing Starliner Program.
For Gorbunov, this will be his first space mission. Born in Zheleznogorsk, Russia, he has a background in spacecraft engineering and aircraft maintenance, having studied at the Moscow Aviation Institute. Before being selected as a cosmonaut in 2018, Gorbunov worked as an engineer for Rocket Space Corp. Energia, supporting cargo spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Once aboard the ISS, Hague and Gorbunov will join the Expedition 72 crew, which includes NASA astronauts Wilmore, Williams, and Don Pettit, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. Together, they will conduct scientific research and station maintenance during the station’s 24th year of continuous human presence.