NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, setting a new United States speed record by docking at the International Space Station in just seven hours and fifty-five minutes.
The four-member Crew 13 mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, clearing thick morning clouds after a three-week delay caused by a leaking fuel system on their Dragon capsule, named Grace. The journey to the orbital outpost took under eight hours, shattering previous transit benchmarks for American spacecraft. Mission leadership and space program officials noted that the rapid transit was driven entirely by favorable orbital mechanics rather than new onboard propulsion hardware.
Jessica Watkins Makes History as First Black Woman to Lead a Crew to Orbit
As commander of the flight, Jessica Watkins became the first Black woman to lead a crewed orbital space mission. Watkins is undertaking her second stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. She radioed back to ground teams shortly after liftoff, stating, With gratitude and grace, Crew-13 is ready to fly
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Just before liftoff, launch controllers thanked the crew for their commitment to human spaceflight and wished them Godspeed, while Watkins replied by thanking the NASA, SpaceX, CSA, and Roscosmos teams, stating it was an honor and privilege to represent all who contributed to the success of the mission. The mission patch features a designation that pays tribute to the harrowing 1970 lunar flight of Apollo 13. Embracing that motif, the crew traveled to the launch pad in black Tesla vehicles bearing Lucky 13
license plates.
Dragon Capsules Complete Record-Breaking 7-Hour, 55-Minute Transit
The Dragon capsule Grace docked to the Harmony module at 7:05 p.m. ET on October 1, completing the trip in 7 hours and 55 minutes. According to NASA and SpaceX, this marks the fastest launch-to-docking profile for any American spacecraft in the history of the space station. The milestone eclipsed the previous uncrewed U.S. record set by the CRS-31 cargo mission in November 2024 at just over 12 hours, while the prior crewed record was held by Crew-11 at 14 hours and 43 minutes.
Bill Gerstenmaier, vice president of build and flight reliability at SpaceX, noted during a prelaunch news conference that the angle separation between the space station and the Dragon was very close due to orbital mechanics.
International Crew Begins Six-Month Stay Aboard the Station
Alongside Watkins and NASA pilot Luke Delaney, the multinational crew includes Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk. Kutryk also shared that feeling good about representing his country in space was his primary focus before getting some sleep.
The mission’s Falcon 9 first stage made its third flight, having previously supported the Crew-12 mission and a Starlink launch, before successfully touching down at Landing Zone 40. The booster’s return generated sonic booms across parts of Central Florida.
Astronauts Prepare for Biomedical and Scientific Research Priorities
During their half-year stay aboard the laboratory, the crew will manage scientific investigations supported by the ISS National Laboratory and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Their work spans biomedical innovation, fundamental science, and technology demonstrations.
Producing human stem cell-derived tissues in microgravity to model diseases, support personalized medicine, and aid pharmaceutical screening for conditions such as heart disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Testing chemotherapy drugs on organoids created from patient-donated colorectal cancer cells through a project with the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.