The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying four astronauts for NASA’s Crew-13 mission successfully docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, completing a nearly eight-hour journey following a liftoff aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, chinadailyasia.com reported.
Falcon 9 Liftoff and Autonomous Docking Timeline
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifted off from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Oct. 1, 2026, at 11:10 a.m. Eastern Time (1610 GMT). The spacecraft then executed an autonomous docking with the International Space Station at 7:05 p.m. Eastern Time (0005 GMT) on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.
NASA live coverage detailed that the planned 7-hour, 50-minute trip from launch to docking on Oct. 1 marked the fastest transit by a U.S. spacecraft in space station history, according to NASA. The launch was originally planned for mid-September, but was delayed to replace a valve in the Crew Dragon’s propulsion system.
International Crew Composition for Crew-13
The Crew-13 mission roster includes four spaceflyers representing three international space agencies. NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney are joined by Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.
Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk’s wife is expecting their third child two months into the mission. Meanwhile, Central Florida Public Media reported that NASA astronaut Luke Delaney, a first-time space flier and alumnus of Deltona High School in Volusia County, inspired a local watch party where students and faculty gathered to watch the launch from approximately 50 miles away.
Scientific Objectives Aboard the Orbital Laboratory
Marking the 13th crew rotation mission conducted by a SpaceX Dragon under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Crew-13 will spend several months aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA stated that the crew will conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations designed to support future human exploration of the Moon and Mars, alongside studies intended to yield benefits for people on Earth.
Once aboard the station, the newly arrived crew initiated a brief handover with the SpaceX Crew-12 mission. NASA indicated that Crew-12 is expected to begin its return journey to Earth no earlier than Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, with further details on the return timeline to be shared following the arrival of Crew-13.
