Three first-time spaceflyers and a returning NASA astronaut are preparing to launch from Cape Canaveral next month on NASA’s Crew-13 mission, a SpaceX launch that will send them to the International Space Station for six months.
NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov are up next on NASA’s space station crew rotation, and will launch no earlier than 6:30 p.m. September 12 from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
While her three crewmates are experiencing their first space mission, Watkins will be making her second trip flying aboard the SpaceX Dragon. Previously having served on NASA’s Crew-4, this mission will make her the first NASA astronaut to be a repeat flier on the Dragon.
“I personally am looking forward to returning to the ISS, as well as flying on Dragon a second time, and really looking forward to experiencing those experiences through the eyes of my crewmates,” said Watkins, who is commanding the mission.
As for that spacecraft, its name is Crew Dragon Grace. This will be its second flight after its debut on the Axiom 4 mission in 2025.
Meanwhile, the Falcon 9 booster that will launch Crew-13 previously launched Crew-12 in February. It flew one Starlink mission afterward and will be undergoing a detailed inspection before heading to the pad.
“Between the science, the spacewalks, and everything else the expedition is going to have — it’s looking to be a great time,” said Delaney, the mission pilot.
Kutryk expressed gratitude for all the teams involved between NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and SpaceX. While looking forward to the mission, he will be returning home afterward to a new addition: his wife is expected to deliver their third child while he’s in space.
“I love a challenge. There certainly is challenge associated with this one, but I’m looking forward to actually managing that,” said Kutryk. “I think that my family is ready. I have a wonderful huge support network from my wife outwards around us.”
SpaceX prepares for Crew-13 launch
Deputy Director of Commercial Crew Office Richard Jones said everything appears to be on track for that September 12 target date. The Dragon spacecraft is nearly ready, he said, and the four astronauts will suit up and sit in the spacecraft for a “test drive” on Friday, August 7.
Director of NASA Science and Dragon Programs at SpaceX Julianna Scheiman said the crew will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the sounds the spacecraft will make during the actual flight.
The spacecraft itself will arrive at the launch pad one week prior to liftoff.
NASA’s space station is busy
Between Crew-12, which launched back in February from Cape Canaveral, to the upcoming Crew-13, the ISS has witnessed a few crew members come and go on the Russian Soyuz.
On July 14, NASA astronaut Anil Menon launched alongside two cosmonaut crewmates from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Then on July 26, NASA astronaut Chris Williams returned to Earth with his cosmonaut crewmates aboard their Soyuz.
As for Crew-13, the schedule is packed full of science, spacewalks, and outreach.
One of the experiments planned will be helpful back on Earth: it’s a study into heart disease and Parkinson’s treatment by looking at human stem cell-derived tissues.
Meanwhile, there’s a chance Boeing’s Starliner could be ready to make an uncrewed mission later this year.
The spacecraft flew crewed once on a test flight in 2024, experiencing thruster issues upon docking with the ISS. This prompted NASA to return the spacecraft without the crew – Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams – and extend the duo’s stay on the ISS until they were able to return with the next SpaceX mission. The incident was later declared a major “Type A” mishap.
“Teams are really working hard on Starliner. We’d like to get that vehicle back to flight,” said Dana Weigel, manager of Low Earth Orbit Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “They made a handful of hardware modifications. It’s really important for us to fly it as soon as its ready so we can take a look at the system performance after those modifications have been made.”
NASA said there are still opportunities to launch the uncrewed Starliner-1 mission in 2026. ULA has Atlas V rockets set aside for the mission, the only remaining Atlas V rockets in the company’s fleet.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NASA’s Crew-13 ready for upcoming September launch from Cape Canaveral
Reporting by Brooke Edwards, Florida Today / Florida Today
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By Brooke Edwards, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
