SpaceX's Crew-9 astronaut launch delayed to Sept. 24 due to Boeing Starliner issues

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'This adjustment allows more time for mission managers to finalize return planning for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test currently docked to the orbiting laboratory.'

four people in white spacesuits with the visors up pose and smile in front of a white cone-shaped spacecraft
The four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-9 mission (from left): Alexsandr Gorbunov of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, and NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Zena Cadman and Stephanie Wilson. (Image credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX's next astronaut mission won't get off the ground this month after all.

Crew-9, SpaceX's ninth operational flight to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA, had been targeted to lift off on Aug. 18. But it has been pushed back to no earlier than Sept. 24, the agency announced today (Aug. 6).

"This adjustment allows more time for mission managers to finalize return planning for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test currently docked to the orbiting laboratory," NASA said in an update this afternoon.

Crew Flight Test (CFT) is the first-ever astronaut mission of Boeing's new Starliner capsule. It launched June 5, carrying NASA's Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the ISS for a planned weeklong stay.

Starliner is still up there, however. The capsule experienced several issues on its way to the orbiting lab — most notably, the failure of five of its 28 reaction control system thrusters. CFT team members have been studying the problem ever since, trying to determine if and when Starliner can safely return Williams and Wilmore to Earth.

That work is still underway.

Related: Boeing Starliner 1st astronaut flight: Live updates

Boeing's Starliner docked at the International Space Station during Crew Flight Test in July 2024. (Image credit: NASA)

"NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate the spacecraft's readiness, and no decisions have been made regarding Starliner's return," NASA officials said in today's update.

We may get more clarity on Wednesday (Aug. 7): NASA will hold a press conference at 12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 GMT) "with agency leadership to discuss ongoing operations, including NASA's Crew-9, Crew-8, and Crew Flight Test missions."

NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 members stand in front of a Falcon 9 first-stage booster at SpaceX’s HangarX facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Image credit: NASA/JSC)
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SpaceX's Crew-8 flight is gearing up to return to Earth; it arrived at the ISS in early March, delivering four astronauts to the orbiting lab for a roughly six-month stay. 

The Crew-9 astronauts are commander Zena Cardman, pilot Nick Hague, mission specialist Stephanie Wilson and mission specialist Alexsandr Gorbunov. Cardman, Hague and Wilson are NASA astronauts, whereas Gorbunov represents Russia's space agency, Roscosmos.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • ZZTOP
    Admin said:
    SpaceX's Crew-9 astronaut launch to the ISS has been delayed five weeks to Sept. 24, to allow more time to work out issues with Boeing's Starliner capsule.

    SpaceX's Crew-9 astronaut launch delayed to Sept. 24 due to Boeing Starliner issues : Read more
    Actually the starliner cannot be fixed without new Helium lines and seals that have to be brought up by SpaceX at this point but Space X cannot dock until the starliner is undocked so Houston we have another problem
    Reply
  • motie
    Can the Helium plumbing be fixed in space?
    Reply
  • ZZTOP
    motie said:
    Can the Helium plumbing be fixed in space?
    Even if all the parts were available which they are not, and all the needed tools were there which they are not the answer is 100% no this cannot be fixed in space, but even if it were they would still need Helium. LOL this would take a year to fix on Earth at JPL and it might be so much trouble that no one would bother. And how many whistleblowers would die during the repairs? Boeing is going going gone at this point
    Reply
  • motie
    And it also doesn't fix the mysterious overheating thrusters.
    Reply
  • ZZTOP
    motie said:
    And it also doesn't fix the mysterious overheating thrusters.
    I do not get the whole thing because Helium does not burn or accelerate like Oxygen so it is there for some top secret failed reason that is being hidden from us or we are being straight out lied too
    Reply
  • Cisventure Astronot
    ZZTOP said:
    I do not get the whole thing because Helium does not burn or accelerate like Oxygen so it is there for some top secret failed reason that is being hidden from us or we are being straight out lied too

    Helium is used to pressurize the propellant.
    {^1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/05/boeing-is-troubleshooting-a-small-helium-leak-on-the-starliner-spacecraft/
    Reply
  • Goryar
    Admin said:
    SpaceX's Crew-9 astronaut launch to the ISS has been delayed five weeks to Sept. 24, to allow more time to work out issues with Boeing's Starliner capsule.

    SpaceX's Crew-9 astronaut launch delayed to Sept. 24 due to Boeing Starliner issues : Read more
    We assume that these two astronauts are not like those on Gilligan's Island, that is, that they are shipwrecked on the International Space Station. The strange thing is that a mission as complex as Crew-9 is combined to also be used as a means of bringing the Starliner shipwrecked people to land.
    Reply