NASA’s SpaceX Crew‑13 Launches to ISS on Oct. 1, Conducting Research for Future Moon and Mars Missions

On Oct. 1 at 11:10 a. m. EDT, a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying the Dragon spacecraft Grace lifted off from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40. The four‑member crew—Commander Jessica Watkins, Pilot Luke Delaney, Mission Specialists Joshua Kutryk and Sergey Teteryatnikov—will join Expedition 75 aboard the International Space Station. Watkins becomes the first NASA astronaut to fly twice on a Dragon, while Kutryk and Teteryatnikov make their first spaceflight. The mission will run long‑duration experiments on human stem‑cell tissues to aid heart disease and Parkinson’s research, test crop production for extended missions, study blood‑flow abnormalities, and evaluate new diagnostic medical equipment. Support teams are finalizing Dragon‑Falcon integration and a static‑fire rehearsal before launch, and Crew‑12 will return shortly after Crew‑13 arrives.