NASA has delayed its Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) due to Hurricane Helene which made landfall in Florida on September 27.

The decision was made two days based on predictions of harsh weather around the launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission is now scheduled to lift off at 10:47 pm IST on September 28.

"Although Tropical Storm Helene is moving through the Gulf of Mexico and expected to impact the Florida panhandle, the storm system is large enough that high winds and heavy rain are expected in the Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island regions on Florida's east coast," NASA said in a statement.

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Two astronauts - Nick Hague from NASA and Aleksandr Gorbunov of Russian space agency Roscosmos - will fly to the station to rescue astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore who are in space since early June.

The duo flew for Boeing's Crew Flight Test (CFT) for an 8-day mission could not return in time owing to the faulty Starliner spacecraft. They will return in February 2025 when Hague and Gorbunov complete their six-month stay.

Meanwhile, the Hurricane Helene has made landfall in the Florida Big Bend region with wind speeds up to 225 km per hour, says the National Hurricane Center. It started as a tropical storm and soon grew into a category 4 hurricane, wreaking havoc in the sunshine state.

Several videos have surfaced on social media showing the extent of damage in Tallahasee and surrounding areas. NASA has also shared a video of the storm shot from the space station, giving an idea of the sheer size of the hurricane.

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(Image: NASA)