Sat Sep 28 17:20:15 UTC 2024: ## SpaceX Crew-9 Launches to International Space Station, Marking Historic First
**Cape Canaveral, Florida -** NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:17 p.m. EDT on Saturday, September 28th, marking the first time a human spaceflight mission has taken off from the pad.
Astronauts Nick Hague (NASA) and Aleksandr Gorbunov (Roscosmos) are already experiencing 2 g’s of force as the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket accelerate through a series of maneuvers. The spacecraft is expected to autonomously dock to the International Space Station at 5:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, September 29th, after a 28.5-hour journey at a speed of 17,000 mph.
The Falcon 9’s nine Merlin engines are currently burning through one million pounds of propellant over the next three minutes.
NASA will be providing live updates on the mission’s progress via NASA+, the agency’s website, and on social media.
First Piper 