SpaceX successfully launched four Crew-13 astronauts toward the International Space Station aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff occurred from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, at 11:10 a.m. EDT.
The Dragon spacecraft, named Grace, carried NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. The mission is scheduled to dock at the orbital laboratory at 7 p.m. EDT following a 7-hour, 50-minute journey. This marks the fastest trip by a U.S. spacecraft in space station history.
Mission Execution and Falcon 9 Booster Return
The Falcon 9 first-stage booster completed a boost-back burn and safely returned to Earth. It landed upright at SpaceX’s Pad 40 at Space Launch Complex 40. Minutes after the booster landing, the rocket’s upper stage shut down after inserting the Crew Dragon capsule into a stable orbit, followed promptly by successful spacecraft separation.
“Luke, Josh, Sergey, welcome to orbit. On behalf of the entire team, we thank you for flying SpaceX today,” SpaceX mission control radioed to the crew.
Crew-13 commander Jessica Watkins responded: “They say that courage is grace under pressure, and the incredible teams that got us to orbit today truly embody that. Thank you for your hard work, perseverance, and courageous commitment to ensuring Grace was ready and safe to fly.”
The Crew-13 Roster
- Jessica Watkins (Commander): A geologist making her second flight to space. Watkins previously flew on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission in 2022. She is the first Black woman to serve on the space station and makes history as the first NASA astronaut to launch twice aboard a SpaceX Dragon.
- Luke Delaney (Pilot): A distinguished naval aviator and former research pilot at NASA’s Langley Research Center. Delaney is embarking on his first spaceflight.
- Joshua Kutryk (Mission Specialist): A Canadian Space Agency astronaut, former CF-18 fighter pilot, and experimental test pilot taking his inaugural trip to space.
- Sergey Teteryatnikov (Mission Specialist): A Roscosmos test cosmonaut and former naval engineer making his first journey to the orbiting laboratory.
Scientific Objectives and Station Handover
The Crew-13 members will spend up to six months living and working aboard the outpost. They will relieve members of the Crew-12 mission, who are scheduled to return to Earth the following week off the coast of Southern California. During their long-duration stay, the crew will maintain the orbiting facility and execute extensive scientific experiments.
“During the mission, the crew will help researchers treat heart disease and Parkinson’s disease by studying human stem-cell derived tissues that can help improve medicine, disease modeling, and pharmaceutical testing,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program at Johnson Space Center. “They also will explore crop production, which is important for longer-duration spaceflight missions.”
The mission represents SpaceX’s 13th operational crew rotation flight for NASA under the Commercial Crew Program. It is also the company’s 14th total crewed flight for the agency, including the historic Demo-2 test flight.
