"We know that this launch is unique, with just two passengers," said Jim Free, associate administrator at NASA, last Friday (27) during a press conference, in which he also thanked SpaceX "for its support and flexibility."

Elon Musk's company is responsible for the regular ISS crew rotation mission.

The Crew-9 liftoff was postponed from mid-August to September to give NASA teams more time to make a decision regarding Boeing's first manned Starliner mission. The launch was also postponed for a few days due to Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida.