Crew-13 Heads to Space Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched NASA’s Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station on Oct. 1, carrying four astronauts and cosmonauts for a science expedition in low Earth orbit. The launch took place at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The Dragon spacecraft carried NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. NASA said the spacecraft was scheduled to autonomously dock with the station’s Harmony module at about 7 p.m., potentially setting a record for the fastest U.S. spacecraft launch-to-docking sequence at the station.

During the mission, the crew will conduct research into human stem cell-derived tissues, disease modeling and pharmaceutical testing. Other projects will examine plant growth in microgravity, blood-flow abnormalities and an inflight diagnostic device designed to monitor astronaut health.

The crew will join Expedition 75 members already aboard the station. Crew-13 is part of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program, which uses commercial partnerships to support space station research and prepare for future missions to the Moon and Mars.