Who is Aleksandr Gorbunov? Cosmonaut To Rescue Sunita Williams In Delayed Crew-9 Mission
SpaceX Crew-9 Mission: NASA Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore struck in space since June 2024, will reportedly be rescued by a cosmonaut from Roscosmos, Aleksandr Vladimirovich Gorbunov, in February next year. Gorbunov will be a part of SpaceX's Crew-9 mission, set to launch on September 28, 2024, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. NASA Astronaut Nick Hague will accompany Gorbunov to the International Space Station (ISS) in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Who is Aleksandr Vladimirovich Gorbunov?
Aleksandr Vladimirovich Gorbunov was born on May 24, 1990, in Zheleznogorsk, Russia. According to the information on NASA's website, he graduated with a degree in spacecraft and upper stages from the Aviation Institute in 2014. He worked as an engineer at Russian Spacecraft Manufacturer - Energia.
Aleksandr was a reserve lieutenant in the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Armed Forces, prior to joining Roscosmos. He underwent serious medical checks and training courses to become a part of the Roscosmos Cosmonaut Corps in 2018.
Gorbunov will now act as a flight engineer on ISS during Expedition 72 to rescue the stranded NASA Astronauts.
NASA Delays SpaceX Crew-9 Mission
In the latest developments, NASA has delayed its SpaceX Crew-9 mission on Tuesday, assigned to bring astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore back from the International Space Station. Originally set for launch on September 26, Crew-9 is now scheduled for September 28, reportedly due to weather concerns associated with Tropical Storm Helene.
Our @SpaceX #Crew9 mission to the @Space_Station is targeted to launch Saturday, Sept. 28 at 1:17pm ET (1717 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-40—the first human spaceflight mission to launch from this pad. Watch on our digital channels and NASA+: https://t.co/gr5CFe2JDj pic.twitter.com/CWZ6Kc1jxg
— NASA (@NASA) September 25, 2024
In February 2025, Hague, Gorbunov, Wilmore, and Williams are expected to return to Earth on the Dragon Capsule.
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