NASA targets October 1 Crew-13 launch as weather threatens liftoff

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission is scheduled to launch four astronauts toward the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday, October 1, at 11:10 a.m. EDT (15:10 UTC). NASA’s launch-day update says weather could prevent liftoff: the forecast gives favorable conditions at the pad a 40% chance. The launch remains a plan, with docking and the start of the crew’s station mission dependent on it.

Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney of NASA, Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency, and Sergey Teteryatnikov of Russia’s Roscosmos are assigned to fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft. NASA identifies Watkins as commander, Delaney as pilot, and Kutryk and Teteryatnikov as mission specialists. Their destination is the station for a long-duration science mission.

What changed on Crew-13 launch day

NASA, SpaceX and international partners completed a Launch Readiness Review on September 30 and agreed to proceed into the launch count. NASA’s October 1 update moved the story from that readiness decision to the immediate launch attempt, specifying the crew, the 11:10 a.m. target and the weather conditions facing the team. A readiness decision allows countdown preparations to continue; it does not establish that the rocket has launched.

The mission is set to depart from Space Launch Complex 40. NASA scheduled live launch coverage to begin at 9:20 a.m. EDT. Its launch-day post identifies cumulus clouds, thick cloud layers and flight through precipitation as the main weather concerns. The 40% favorable forecast is a snapshot for the planned liftoff time, so the conditions facing the countdown could change.

Who is aboard and what happens after launch

Watkins is returning to space, while Delaney, Kutryk and Teteryatnikov are making their first flights, according to Space.com. The outlet reported that Watkins would become the first NASA astronaut to launch on a Crew Dragon for a second time. The four are expected to work aboard the station for roughly six months as part of Expedition 75, carrying out station upkeep alongside research.

NASA has targeted docking at about 7 p.m. EDT on October 1, at the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module. Its schedule puts the trip from launch to docking at seven hours and 50 minutes. NASA says that duration would make it the fastest journey to the station by a U.S. spacecraft, if achieved. Arrival coverage is scheduled to begin at 5:20 p.m.; the hatch opening is tentatively set for 8:45 p.m.

The arrival would start a brief handover with Crew-12. NASA’s September 29 advisory says that crew was expected to begin its return to Earth no earlier than October 5, after Crew-13 reached the station. NASA said it would provide further return details following the new crew’s arrival. Those timings remain subject to launch, docking and real-time station operations.

Why the mission slipped from September

Crew-13 had previously been targeted for September 12. Space.com reported that a leak found in Dragon’s propulsion system during pre-mission checks delayed the flight and that mission managers later cleared the spacecraft. The September 30 readiness review was another step toward the October attempt. If the October 1 attempt is scrubbed, Space.com reported a backup opportunity at 10:47 a.m. EDT on October 2.

The launch-day schedule follows NewsJaws’ earlier coverage of the mission’s preparations. Its report on the completed review recorded the decision to enter the launch count; the new update adds the day’s weather forecast and the immediate liftoff target.

Research planned for the station

NASA says Crew-13 is scheduled to conduct science and technology work that could support future missions to the Moon and Mars and yield benefits on Earth. Space.com, citing NASA low Earth orbit program manager Dana Weigel, reported plans involving stem-cell-derived tissues relevant to heart disease and Parkinson’s disease, crop production, blood-flow abnormalities in space and equipment for monitoring crew health. These are planned studies, not findings from this mission.

For now, the immediate question is whether weather and the remaining countdown permit Thursday’s launch. NASA’s published schedule sets out the attempt, the coverage and the intended docking, but the available launch-day accounts do not confirm liftoff. A successful launch and arrival would determine when the four astronauts can begin their work aboard the station and when the Crew-12 handover can proceed.