NASA, SpaceX set for Crew-13 launch to International Space Station
NASA, SpaceX launch Crew-13 to International Space Station
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carrying the four members of Crew-13 on the Dragon capsule lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Four astronauts successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday morning en route to the International Space Station, part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission.
The four astronauts represent three space agencies: NASA, CSA (Canadian Space Agency), and Russia's Roscosmos.
Meet the Crew 13 astronauts
Big picture view:
Here are the four astronauts part of the Crew-13 Mission:
- NASA's Jessica Watkins, spacecraft commander
- NASA's Luke Delaney, mission pilot
- CSA's Josh Kutryk, mission specialist
- Roscosmos' Sergey Teteryatnikov
Members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 pose for a portrait next to the Dragon spacecraft mockup after completing a preflight training session at SpaceX’s facility in Hawthorne, California. (Credit: SpaceX)
Florida native headed to the International Space Station
Luke DeLaney graduated from DeLand High School in Volusia County. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of North Florida and his master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.
The Crew-13 Mission is DeLaney's first spaceflight, according to his online bio.
When will Crew 13 reach the ISS?
Timeline:
- The rocket lifted off at 11:10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1.
- Dragon is expected to dock with ISS' Harmony module at 7 p.m., less than 8 hours after launch. This would be the fastest launch-to-dock in ISS history, NASA said.
How long will Crew 13 be in space?
After NASA's Crew 13 arrives at the International Space Station, Crew 12 will prepare to come back to Earth. Crew 13 is expected to be aboard the ISS for roughly six months.
What is the Crew 13 mission?
While at the space station, Crew-13 will perform different scientific experiments to help prepare humans for future exploration missing to the Moon and Mars.
They will live and work on the ISS for about six months. Kutryk will miss the birth of his third child during the mission, a sacrifice official with the Canadian Space Agency acknowledged while expressing support for the mission.
Crew 12 prepares to come back to Earth
Crew-13 will take over for Crew-12. The four-person crew—consisting of NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency's Sophie Adenot and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev—have been living on the space station since February.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by NASA and SpaceX.