SpaceX Crew-13 docks at International Space Station after swift flight
The four international astronauts completed the journey from the Florida launchpad to the orbiting laboratory in just under eight hours.
SpaceX Dragon docks with space station
A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying four astronauts has docked with the International Space Station, completing a swift eight-hour journey from its launchpad in Florida.
The capsule, flying NASA's Crew-13 mission, arrived at the orbiting laboratory at 7:05 pm on Thursday, locking onto the station autonomously. It had lifted off earlier that morning at 11:10 am aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
On board are NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.
Who is on the Crew-13 mission?
The international crew represents three separate space agencies:
- Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney representing NASA.
- Joshua Kutryk representing the Canadian Space Agency.
- Sergey Teteryatnikov representing the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.
This mission is the 13th routine crew rotation SpaceX has flown to the space station under NASA's commercial crew program. For the next several months, the crew will live and work in orbit, conducting scientific research and testing new technologies.
What happens next for the crew?
According to NASA, the team's work will focus on scientific experiments and technology demonstrations. These studies are designed to support future human exploration of the Moon and Mars, as well as research that could offer medical and technological benefits for people on Earth.
This quick transit meant the crew spent relatively little time inside the capsule before entering the much larger living quarters of the station, where they will begin their long-duration mission.
Key numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Flight duration from launch to docking | 7 hours and 55 minutes | NASA |
| Launch date | 1 October 2026 | NASA |
| SpaceX commercial crew flights to ISS | 13 | NASA |
In this story
| Name | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| SpaceX | Manufactured and operated the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft. |
| International Space Station | The destination orbital laboratory where the capsule docked. |
| NASA | The space agency sponsoring and managing the Crew-13 mission. |
