NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station on October 1, 2026, delivering four astronauts from Cape Canaveral in a rapid rendezvous lasting 7 hours and 55 minutes.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, clearing an anvil cloud that dissipated right at the end of the countdown. The mission carries NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov to join the Expedition 75 crew for a six-month stay aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Weather Clears For Cape Canaveral Lift-Off
Liftoff occurred at 11:10 a.m. EDT following schedule adjustments. The flight had been delayed since September due to an oxidizer leak discovered in the Dragon spacecraft’s propulsion system during environmental checks. Arlena Moses served as the launch weather officer at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron, while William Gerstenmaier acted as vice president of build and flight reliability for SpaceX.
Teams also troubleshot unexpected problems with the vehicle’s GPS and a rocket engine motor microcontroller prior to flight clearance.
Weather conditions presented the final hurdle before ignition. Clearing skies over the Florida coast allowed the operation to proceed after meteorologists estimated a 60% chance of favorable conditions on launch day.
“It was probably the best weather we could ask for in the middle of hurricane season in Florida.”
Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program, via CBC
Launch controllers wished the crew Godspeed
just before ignition, thanking them for their commitment to human spaceflight. Lori Glaze, associate administrator for NASA’s human spaceflight mission directorate at NASA Headquarters, described the launch as absolutely picture perfect and congratulated the first-time spaceflyers Kutryk, Delaney, and Teteryatnikov. Watkins responded on behalf of her team, stating that it was an honor to represent the contributors to the mission, including the teams at NASA, SpaceX, the Canadian Space Agency, and Roscosmos.
Spacecraft Sets Trajectory Record
The journey from Cape Canaveral to the space station took 7 hours and 55 minutes, marking the fastest crewed delivery by an American spacecraft in history. NASA officials attributed the speed to orbital mechanics rather than a new propulsion profile.
“We got lucky this time. The space station was in an opportune spot in space, and the orbital mechanics, the physics of it all, worked out for it to be the shortest launch-to-docking time we’ve had to date.”
Julianna Scheiman, director of NASA science and SpaceX’s Dragon program, via Interestingengineering
The previous record for a crewed U.S. mission was set in August 2025 at 14 hours and 43 minutes, following a previous cargo resupply record of about 12 hours and 33 minutes in November 2024 during the CRS-31 flight. Russian Soyuz flights have occasionally achieved faster rendezvous times, such as one in May 2020 achieved in around 3 hours and 3 minutes.
Expedition 75 Welcomes Diverse Crew
Jessica Watkins becomes the first NASA astronaut to launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft twice, having previously flown on the Crew-4 mission in 2022 and spending 170 days in space across Expeditions 67 and 68. Luke Delaney, a Florida native, distinguished naval aviator, test pilot, and former research pilot at NASA’s Langley Research Center, makes his first spaceflight after earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
The Crew-13 roster brings together international space agencies for an extended research rotation.
Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk boarded the spacecraft carrying a more than 100-year-old pocket watch passed down through four generations of his Ukrainian Canadian family. Kutryk is set to become the fourth man to become a father while orbiting Earth, with his wife expecting a child the following month. Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov rounds out the four-person quartet, while Mathieu Caron serves as the director of astronauts, life sciences, and space medicine for the Canadian Space Agency.
Crew-12 Prepares For Station Handover
Following hatch opening and welcome remarks, the newly arrived quartet began a brief handover period with the outgoing Expedition members. The incoming team will overlap with the departing crew for several days to review station systems, including exercise equipment and the facility’s plumbing infrastructure, following recent discussions regarding space toilet hardware.
The outgoing members of Crew-12, who have inhabited the station since February, are scheduled to depart for Earth no earlier than Monday, October 5.