NASA and SpaceX clear Crew-13 to enter launch count for October 1 flight

NASA said on September 30 that it, SpaceX and international partners completed the Launch Readiness Review for Crew-13 and voted ‘go’ to enter the launch count. The four-person flight to the International Space Station is now targeting liftoff no earlier than 11:10 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, October 1, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The decision moves the mission toward launch after an earlier delay, although liftoff has not yet occurred.

The review is the latest step since NASA set out its October 1 launch and docking plans. NASA’s earlier Crew-13 launch coverage described the timetable; Wednesday’s decision establishes that mission leaders are ready to proceed into the count. NASA says the launch time remains subject to change as operations continue.

What the Crew-13 readiness review decided

NASA said mission leaders from the agency, SpaceX and international partner teams completed the Launch Readiness Review and polled ‘go’ to proceed into the launch count. Its announcement places the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft at Space Launch Complex 40. The target is a launch opportunity, rather than a report of a completed flight or a guarantee that the rocket will leave at the stated time.

The crew rehearsed launch-day procedures on September 29, according to NASA. Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk and Sergey Teteryatnikov put on their spacesuits, completed air-leak checks and travelled to the launch complex. There, they boarded the Dragon spacecraft intended to take them to the station. That rehearsal preceded the readiness-review decision announced the following day.

Why Crew-13’s launch date changed

Space.com reported that Crew-13 is expected to spend about seven months aboard the station and relieve Crew-12, whose astronauts have been there since mid-February. The planned overlap gives the incoming and outgoing crews time for a handover before Crew-12 returns. Those plans depend first on Crew-13 launching and reaching the station.

Who is flying on Crew-13

NASA astronaut Watkins will command the mission, with fellow NASA astronaut Delaney as pilot. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Teteryatnikov will serve as mission specialists. NASA says Watkins spent 170 days aboard the station during Expeditions 67 and 68 in 2022. For Delaney, Kutryk and Teteryatnikov, Crew-13 is set to be their first spaceflight.

Crew-13 is NASA’s 13th crew-rotation flight with SpaceX to the station under its Commercial Crew Program. NASA describes the assignment as a long-duration mission combining scientific research, technology demonstrations and maintenance. The four astronauts are due to join the station’s Expedition 75 crew, extending work already under way aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program, said the crew will study tissues derived from human stem cells in research related to heart disease and Parkinson’s disease. She also identified crop production, blood-flow abnormalities seen in space and diagnostic equipment for monitoring crew health as planned work. These are research aims, not established medical outcomes from the forthcoming mission.

When docking and the crew handover are planned

NASA’s schedule calls for launch coverage to begin at 9:20 a.m. Eastern time on October 1. Its docking target is about 7 p.m. at the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, with hatch opening listed for about 8:45 p.m. The agency estimates a seven-hour, 50-minute journey from liftoff to docking and says that, if achieved, it would be the fastest trip to the station by a U.S. spacecraft. NASA cautions that the times may change during operations.

After Crew-13 arrives, NASA expects Crew-12 to help the new arrivals take over ongoing science and station maintenance work. The agency says Crew-12 could begin its return to Earth no earlier than October 5 and will provide further details after Crew-13 reaches the station. Its rehearsal account says the return is also contingent on weather. For now, launch, docking, handover and return remain scheduled events rather than completed milestones.