Mercury-Atlas 9 was the final mission of the Mercury program, launched on May 15, 1963. It carried astronaut L. Gordon Cooper into space for a 34-hour flight, during which he orbited the Earth 22 times. This mission aimed to test the spacecraft's systems and gather data on long-duration spaceflight. The spacecraft was launched atop an Atlas rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Mercury-Atlas 9 demonstrated the capabilities of human spaceflight and provided valuable insights for future missions, including the Gemini program and Apollo program. Cooper's successful flight marked a significant milestone in the early years of space exploration.