Jessica Watkins leads Crew-13 to ISS in record US launch-to-docking time

Jessica Watkins led four astronauts to the International Space Station on October 1 after a SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Their Dragon spacecraft docked seven hours and 55 minutes after liftoff, the fastest launch-to-docking trip by a US spacecraft in the station’s history, according to NASA. The flight also made Watkins the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit, the Associated Press reported.

How Crew-13 set the US docking record

NASA said the Falcon 9 rocket carrying Crew-13 lifted off at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Dragon reached the forward port of the station’s Harmony module at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The interval between those two events, rather than the spacecraft’s peak speed, is the measure behind the record.

The Canadian Space Agency also reported docking at approximately 7:05 p.m. Eastern time and described the seven-hour, 55-minute journey as a launch-to-docking record for a SpaceX vehicle. NASA’s docking account defines the broader comparison as the fastest such trip by a US spacecraft in the history of the International Space Station. Neither statement establishes a record for spacecraft from every country.

Before the flight, NASA had projected an approximately seven-hour, 50-minute transit. Its account after docking gave the completed journey as seven hours and 55 minutes. The five-minute difference reflects a planned duration and a measured result; the completed trip is the figure used for the record.

Jessica Watkins and the Crew-13 astronauts

Watkins had already served aboard the station in 2022. The Associated Press described her as a geologist who previously worked with NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover. After Thursday’s liftoff, she radioed, ‘Thanks for an amazing ride,’ AP reported. Her return puts an astronaut with earlier station experience at the head of this four-person crew.

The launch followed a three-week delay while a leak in Dragon’s fuel system was repaired, according to AP. The news agency also reported that thick clouds threatened the countdown on October 1 before conditions cleared enough for liftoff. Those problems were part of the route to Thursday’s departure; the docking record measures only the time from launch to arrival.

What happened after Dragon docked

Docking did not immediately put the astronauts inside the station. The Canadian Space Agency said the crew first equalized pressure between Dragon and the orbital laboratory, removed their launch spacesuits and performed a leak check. It reported that the hatch opened at 9:19 p.m. Eastern time, after which Crew-13 joined the Expedition 75 astronauts already aboard.

Watkins told colleagues on Earth that the crew was excited to be there, according to AP. She called the station a special place and reflected on the contrast between the short flight and the much longer journey to reach that point. Her remarks followed the crew’s arrival, rather than NASA’s earlier projection of how long the transit would take.

Crew-13’s work aboard the space station

NASA said the newcomers would join Expedition 75 and conduct a brief handover with Crew-12 before that crew’s return to Earth. The agency’s launch release identified the scientific work planned for Crew-13, including research using human stem-cell-derived tissues and experiments with plant growth systems in microgravity. Those are mission plans; the cited accounts do not report results from the experiments.

The tissue work is intended to support research into personalized medicine, disease models and pharmaceutical testing, NASA said. The plant work includes a mostly autonomous growth system and tests outside dedicated plant facilities. NASA also listed studies of factors linked to blood-flow abnormalities in microgravity and a diagnostic device for monitoring astronaut health during flight.

Crew-13’s immediate next stage is its stay and work aboard the station. NASA’s launch account says the four astronauts will work alongside the existing Expedition 75 crew while Crew-12 prepares to depart after a short handover. The docking reports establish the arrival time and record; the outcomes of the planned research will require later reporting.