NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on Thursday, 1 October 2026, at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Docking is planned for about 7 p.m. the same day.
A record transit time
According to NASA, the planned trip of 7 hours and 50 minutes from launch to docking will be the fastest by a US spacecraft in the history of the space station. Dragon is scheduled to dock to the forward-facing port of the station's Harmony module.
The crew
- Jessica Watkins, NASA, commander: her second flight to the station. She spent 170 days in space on Crew-4 in 2022.
- Luke Delaney, NASA, pilot.
- Joshua Kutryk, Canadian Space Agency, mission specialist.
- Sergey Teteryatnikov, Roscosmos, mission specialist.
Vehicle and mission
The crew will fly on the Dragon spacecraft Grace, which previously flew in summer 2025 on the private astronaut mission Axiom Mission 4. The Falcon 9 booster is preparing for its third flight. Crew-13 is the 13th SpaceX crew rotation mission to the station and will join Expedition 75.
During the mission, the crew will help researchers treat heart disease and Parkinson’s disease by studying human stem-cell derived tissues that can help improve medicine, disease modeling, and pharmaceutical testing.Dana Weigel, manager, NASA Low Earth Orbit Program
After a brief handover, Crew-12 is expected to begin its return to Earth no earlier than Monday, 5 October.
Frequently asked questions
When does Crew-13 launch?
Crew-13 is scheduled to launch at 11:10 a.m. EDT on 1 October 2026 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
How long does it take Crew-13 to reach the ISS?
NASA plans a 7 hour and 50 minute trip from launch to docking, the fastest by a US spacecraft in space station history.
Related reading
Sources
- NASA: NASA Sets Crew-13 Launch, Docking Coverage
- NASA: What You Need to Know About NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 Mission
Cover image: Official portrait of the Crew-13 crew: Sergey Teteryatnikov, Luke Delaney, Jessica Watkins and Joshua Kutryk. Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford (jsc2026e401203), public domain.