SpaceX launches Crew-13 to the International Space Station

Overview

Updated Oct 1

SpaceX sent four astronauts to the International Space Station on Thursday, and their capsule caught up with the lab in 7 hours 55 minutes. That's the fastest launch-to-docking trip of any American spacecraft.

NASA's Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canada's Joshua Kutryk, and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov will spend six months on the station. Their work covers stem-cell tissue for Parkinson's and heart disease research, crop production in orbit, and new medical monitoring equipment. The station now holds 11 people; the crew they're replacing heads home next week.

Why it matters

SpaceX has flown every NASA crew rotation since 2020; Crew-13 extends that run and keeps the ISS fully staffed through early 2027.

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Key Indicators

Crew members launched

Two NASA astronauts, one Canadian, and one Russian cosmonaut.

7 h 55 m

Launch-to-docking time

Fastest launch-to-docking trip of any American spacecraft.

170 days

Watkins' prior time in space

Commander's total from her 2022 Crew-4 flight; most for any Black woman.

SpaceX operational NASA crew missions

Crew-13 is the 13th operational rotation since the 2020 test flight.

Crew members now aboard the ISS

The four Crew-13 astronauts joined the crew already on station.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

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People Involved

Jessica Watkins

Crew-13 commander, NASA astronaut

Aboard the ISS after docking at 7:05 p.m. EDT October 1

Luke Delaney

Crew-13 pilot, NASA astronaut

Aboard the ISS after docking at 7:05 p.m. EDT October 1

Joshua Kutryk

Mission specialist, Canadian Space Agency

Aboard the ISS after docking at 7:05 p.m. EDT October 1

Sergey Teteryatnikov

Mission specialist, Roscosmos

Aboard the ISS after docking at 7:05 p.m. EDT October 1

Organizations Involved

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Federal space agency

Runs the ISS and Commercial Crew program; leads the Crew-13 mission

The US space agency that operates the International Space Station and contracts SpaceX for crew transport.

SpaceX

Private space and satellite company

Launch provider and capsule builder for Crew-13

The company, founded by Elon Musk, builds the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsules that carry NASA crews.

Canadian Space Agency

National space agency

Provides mission specialist Joshua Kutryk

Canada's space agency, which provides astronauts for ISS missions under the country's station partnership.

Roscosmos

National space agency

Provides cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov

Russia's space agency, which sends cosmonauts on ISS missions under international agreements.

International Space Station (ISS)

Orbiting laboratory

Destination for Crew-13; orbits about 250 miles (420 km) above Earth

The orbiting lab where Crew-13 will spend six months, with 11 crew members expected after docking.

Timeline

February 2026 October 2026

5 events Latest: October 1st, 2026 · 1 week ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

October 2026
Crew-13 lifts off from Cape Canaveral
Latest Launch

Falcon 9 lifts off; four astronauts begin an eight-hour trip to the station.
October 1st, 2026 • 11:10 a.m. EDT
Crew Dragon docks at Harmony module
Mission milestone

Grace arrived at the station's Harmony module 7 h 55 m after launch, the fastest launch-to-docking trip of any American spacecraft.
October 1st, 2026 • about 7 p.m. EDT
September 2026
Launch pushed back to fix leak
Decision

NASA and SpaceX delay the mission from mid-September to troubleshoot the propulsion system leak.
September 15th, 2026
August 2026
Oxidizer leak found on Crew-13's Dragon
Technical issue

A leak of oxidizer is detected in the capsule's propulsion system during processing.
August 2026
February 2026
Crew-12 launches to the ISS
Launch

SpaceX's previous crew rotation lifts off; they remain on station until Crew-13 arrives.
February 2026

Scenarios

Crew-13 completes its six-month rotation and returns safely

Likely Resolves by Apr 30, 2027

Discussed by: NASA mission planning and the standard SpaceX crew flight profile

The crew docks at 7 p.m., takes over station operations from Crew-12, and runs experiments for roughly six months. Crew-14 launches around February or March 2027 to replace them, and Crew-13 splashes down off the coast of Southern California.

Mission extension pushes Crew-13's return past six months

Possible Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Crew-12's extension sets a precedent

Schedule slips, resupply delays, or technical issues extend the rotation. Crew-12 stayed about 7.5 months because Crew-13's launch slipped; a similar delay for Crew-14 could push Crew-13's return into spring 2027.

Crew-13 returns early due to a technical or medical issue

Unlikely Resolves by Mar 1, 2027

Discussed by: Contingency planning; the capsule had an oxidizer leak before launch

A problem with the Dragon capsule or a medical emergency forces an early return. Rare but not unprecedented in station history; the crew would undock from the ISS and descend before completing the full rotation.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

May 2020

SpaceX Demo-2 (May 2020)

SpaceX flew its first crewed mission, carrying NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the station. It was the first crewed launch from US soil since the Space Shuttle retired in 2011.

Then

The mission succeeded, ending nine years of US reliance on Russia's Soyuz capsules for crew transport.

Now

It launched SpaceX into the role of NASA's primary crew provider, which has now flown 13 operational rotations.

Why this matters now

Crew-13 is the direct continuation of that capability, now routine enough that NASA treats crew rotations as standard operations.

July 1975

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (July 1975)

American and Soviet spacecraft docked in orbit for the first time, with astronauts Thomas Stafford, Vance Brand, and Deke Slayton shaking hands with cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Valery Kubasov.

Then

The project demonstrated that rival superpowers could cooperate in space.

Now

It set the template for joint space operations that later produced the Space Station partnership, which now includes NASA, Roscosmos, the Canadian Space Agency, and the European Space Agency.

Why this matters now

Crew-13 carries a Russian cosmonaut on a US vehicle, the same kind of cross-national crew arrangement that has kept the station staffed for decades.

July 2011

STS-135, final Space Shuttle flight (July 2011)

Atlantis lifted off on the final Space Shuttle mission, closing NASA's 30-year shuttle program and leaving the US without a domestic crew launch vehicle.

Then

NASA bought seats on Russia's Soyuz for astronaut transport to the station.

Now

The gap spurred the Commercial Crew program, which selected SpaceX and Boeing to build new capsules. SpaceX's Crew Dragon became operational in 2020.

Why this matters now

Crew-13 flies the system that replaced the shuttle, on the fifth and final Dragon capsule SpaceX built.