September 28 (UPI)— Eleven hours after successfully launching its Crew 9 spacecraft to bring back two stranded astronauts from the International Space Station, SpaceX announced early Sunday that future launches had been halted due to an issue with the second stage’s deorbit. .
At 12:30 a.m. Sunday, the private company posted on the nominal. As a result, the second stage landed safely in the ocean, but outside the target area. “We will resume the launch after we better understand the root cause.”
No other information was available.
itm” allowfullscreen=””>
The manned spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov lifted off as planned, propelled into space by a reusable two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
trx”>kgc”/>kgc” class=”caas-img”/>
SpaceX successfully launched its Crew 9 spacecraft from Space Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
The California-based company’s spacecraft lifted off from Pad 40 at 1:17 p.m. EDT.
fvp”>dwt”/>dwt” class=”caas-img”/>
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to Landing Zone 1 after launching a NASA Roscosmos crew to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
Just over two minutes after launch, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket completed its ignition and separated from the second stage of the rocket that landed at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1.
The launch of the Falcon 9 from Pad 40 is the first of a manned space flight. Crews traveling on SpaceX’s Dragon typically take off from Kennedy Space Center’s pad 39A, but work is underway there.
new”>wish”/>wish” class=”caas-img”/>
The crewed spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague (left) and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov lifted off as planned, propelled into space by a reusable two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
The launch was delayed from Thursday due to strong winds from Hurricane Helene in the area.
The capsule is expected to arrive at the ISS around 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday and spend six months aboard the space station.
xhg”>rfw”/>rfw” class=”caas-img”/>
NASA astronaut and mission commander Nick Hague exits the operations and checkout building at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on Saturday, ahead of the successful launch of the two-person SpaceX 9 mission to the International Space Station. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
This is the second space flight to the ISS for Hague, mission commander and colonel in the US Space Force.
This is Gorbunov’s first flight into space.
fkc”>gse”/>gse” class=”caas-img”/>
Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov is the other member of the two-person crew on the mission to the ISS. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
In late August, NASA confirmed it would reduce the crew size from four to two.
The space agency made the decision to accommodate the return of stranded astronauts from Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
qji”>jtf”/>jtf” class=”caas-img”/>
As dusk falls on Friday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket prepares to launch its Crew Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
The Boeing spacecraft’s first crewed mission ended in disappointment for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams after a week-long test flight. They are now scheduled to return to Earth in February.
Wilmore and Williams arrived at the orbital observatory on June 6.
Boeing’s Starliner returned to Earth without a crew earlier this month.
