Updated
Updated · Space.com · Sep 29
NASA Readies 4-Astronaut Crew-13 Launch for Oct. 1 ISS Mission
Updated
Updated · Space.com · Sep 29

NASA Readies 4-Astronaut Crew-13 Launch for Oct. 1 ISS Mission

3 articles · Updated · Space.com · Sep 29

Summary

  • A SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft are stacked on the pad ahead of NASA's Oct. 1 Crew-13 launch to the International Space Station.
  • The mission cleared a key prelaunch step with a static-fire test and will carry Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk and Sergey Teteryatnikov.
  • Watkins is making her second spaceflight, while Delaney, Kutryk and Teteryatnikov are flying to space for the first time.
  • During the mission, the crew will support stem-cell research tied to heart disease and Parkinson's, study crop production, examine blood-flow abnormalities and test new crew-health diagnostics.
  • Crew-13 is the latest flight under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which uses SpaceX missions to sustain human presence and research aboard the ISS.

Insights

As SpaceX prepares to launch Crew-13, what do its stem-cell and health experiments reveal about future medicine in space and on Earth?
Why could Crew-13’s trip to the ISS become the fastest U.S. crewed mission yet, and what will the astronauts do once they arrive?
With Dragon carrying another ISS crew while Starliner remains delayed, how is NASA managing the future of U.S. astronaut transportation?