NASA and SpaceX target October 1 for Crew-13 mission to ISS

NASA and SpaceX are targeting October 1 as the earliest launch date for the SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, utilizing a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, was previously delayed from its original September schedule after an oxidizer leak was detected in the Dragon propulsion system. Technical teams have since replaced the faulty oxidizer valve.

The four-person crew includes NASA Commander Jessica Watkins, NASA Pilot Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos mission specialist Sergey Teteryatnikov. Watkins will become the first NASA astronaut to launch twice on a Dragon spacecraft, while Kutryk will be the first Canadian to fly under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

The crew is currently undergoing quarantine at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to minimize infection risks before the flight. If the launch proceeds as planned from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the crew is expected to dock with the ISS approximately nine hours after liftoff to join the Expedition 75 crew.