NASA and S paceX Target Oct. 1 Launch for Crew-13,Setting Up Crew-12’s Return After Nearly Eight Months
AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication
NASA and SpaceX are aiming for an 11:10 a.m. EDT launch on Thursday, Oct. 1, for the Crew‑13 mission to the International Space Station, NASA announced in its latest update. The four‑person crew—NASA commander Jessica Watkins, pilot Luke Delaney, CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov—will ride a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. If the launch proceeds as planned, the spacecraft will dock with the Harmony module’s forward port about nine hours later, around 8 p.m. EDT, and join Expedition 75. Crew‑13’s arrival will trigger the handover that allows the four members of Crew‑12 to undock and splash down off California, concluding a nearly eight‑month stay. The launch date follows a delay caused by an oxidizer‑valve leak discovered in September, which required replacement and additional testing. Weather and final readiness reviews remain variables that could shift the schedule.
💡 Why It Matters
- · The timing of Crew‑13’s launch directly determines the safe return of the longest‑standing crew on the ISS, ending an unprecedented eight‑month occupancy and resetting the station’s crew rotation cycle.
