9:44 AM PT -- SpaceX's Dragon is up and away ... having just detached from the rocket. Crew-9 is expected to reach the International Space Station tomorrow -- and, should return with Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams early next year. Good luck!

A SpaceX mission is set to blast off Saturday with a crucial mission ... to help retrieve 2 American astronauts stranded for months on the International Space Station ... but it's still going to be a while before they're back on Earth.

The launch of SpaceX’s Dragon -- piloted by NASA's Crew-9 is scheduled for 1:17 PM ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida ... but weather delays might be a snag given the deadly Hurricane Helene just battered a portion of the state.

Firing off of a new launch pad with 2 astronauts onboard -- NASA's Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexandr Gorbunov ... SpaceX's Dragon vessel is set to dock with the ISS on Sunday, per the space agency.

When it returns in February ... Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be aboard after being marooned on the ISS for months after several issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

As we previously reported ... the duo have been stranded on the ISS since June 6, due to Starliner's thruster troubles and helium leaks ... after what was supposed to be a week-long stay.

Their troubled Boeing Starliner capsule successfully cruised back down to Earth from the International Space Station earlier this month — empty.

Godspeed, Crew Dragon!