SpaceX launches NASA’s Crew-13 astronauts to the International Space Station

A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 11:10 a.m. EDT (8:10 a.m. PT) Thursday with two NASA astronauts, a Canadian astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut aboard the Dragon capsule Grace, at the start of a stay of up to six months.

Confirmed By Priya Nair · Staff Writer — Technology & Science United States / Low Earth Orbit Published Oct 1, 2026, 9:30 AM PT Updated Oct 1, 2026, 9:30 AM PT

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched NASA (opens in new tab)’s Crew-13 mission at 11:10 a.m. EDT (8:10 a.m. PT) Thursday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, NASA (opens in new tab) said. The Dragon spacecraft carries NASA (opens in new tab) astronauts Jessica Watkins, the mission commander, and Luke Delaney, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.

NASA (opens in new tab) said the trip to the International Space Station would take about 7 hours and 50 minutes, and Space.com (opens in new tab) reported that docking was scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. PT). Space.com (opens in new tab) also reported that the rocket’s first stage landed at Space Launch Complex 40. “Thanks for an amazing ride,” Watkins said after the capsule reached orbit, according to Space.com (opens in new tab).

The four will spend up to six months on the station, NPR (opens in new tab) reported. This is Watkins’ second spaceflight after NASA (opens in new tab)’s Crew-4 mission in 2022, during which she spent 170 days in orbit. Delaney, Kutryk and Teteryatnikov are making their first flights, NPR (opens in new tab) reported.

The crew is flying in Grace, the fifth and final Dragon capsule built by SpaceX, which has flown once before on the Ax-4 private mission, according to NPR (opens in new tab). The launch had been planned for mid-September but was delayed after an oxidizer leak was found in August, NPR (opens in new tab) reported. “It took a lot of effort, time, [and] many, many hours in determined troubleshooting to put us on the right path for launch,” said Lori Glaze, NASA (opens in new tab)’s head of human spaceflight, according to NPR (opens in new tab).

Planned research includes stem cell work related to Parkinson’s disease, crop production and tests of medical equipment, NPR (opens in new tab) reported. The Crew-12 astronauts, who launched in February, are scheduled to return next week with a splashdown off Southern California, according to NPR (opens in new tab).