NASA’s Crew-13 Successfully Reaches International Space Station
On October 1, 2026, Crew-13 arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) after a remarkable journey lasting nearly eight hours. This was noted as the fastest launch-to-docking of a U.S. spacecraft to the orbiting laboratory.
Aboard the Dragon spacecraft were NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, along with Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. They successfully docked with the ISS at 7:05 p.m. EDT, as stated by NASA.
“At 7 hours and 55 minutes, this marked the fastest launch-to-docking of a U.S. spacecraft in the history of the International Space Station,” NASA shared on Thursday.
After following standard procedures, the crew officially entered the ISS once the hatch of the Dragon spacecraft opened at 9:19 p.m.
Launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The rocket’s first stage separated successfully, landing back on Earth without issues.
With Crew-13’s arrival, the number of occupants on the ISS increased to 11. They are expected to take over mission responsibilities from Crew-12 on Sunday.
“Welcome aboard!” NASA announced on social media. “After nearly eight hours in flight, Crew-13 arrived at the ISS, where they will spend the next several months conducting experiments aimed at advancing science and technology that benefits life both on Earth and in space.”
