Sept. 28 (UPI) -- SpaceX on Saturday successfully launched its Crew 9 spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The crewed spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov lifted off as planned, propelled into space by a SpaceX Falcon 9 reusable, two-stage rocket.

The California-based company's spacecraft lifted off as scheduled from Space Complex 40 at 1:17 p.m. EDT.

Just over two minutes after the launch, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket completed ignition and broke away from the rocket's second stage, returning to Earth using drone technology.

The launch was delayed from Thursday because of Hurricane Helene's high winds rain in the area.

The capsule is expected to arrive at the ISS at about 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday.

This marks the second space flight to the ISS for Hague, the mission's commander and a colonel in the U.S. Space Force.

It marks the first flight to space for Gorbunov. Both men are expected to arrive at the ISS at 5:30 p.m. Sunday and spend six months aboard the space station.

At the end of August, NASA confirmed it was reducing the size of the crew from four to two

The space agency made the decision in order to accommodate the return of the stranded astronauts of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.

The Boeing spacecraft's first manned mission ended in disappointment with both astronauts now stranded at the International Space Station after a weeklong test flight

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the orbiting observatory June 6 and have been stuck in space since.

The spacecraft used in Saturday's Crew 9 mission will eventually be used to return Williams and Wilmore to Earth.