Updated

Updated · NASA · Sep 29

NASA Sets Oct. 1 Launch for 4-Astronaut SpaceX Crew-13 Mission, Targeting Record 7-Hour ISS Docking

Updated

Updated · NASA · Sep 29

NASA Sets Oct. 1 Launch for 4-Astronaut SpaceX Crew-13 Mission, Targeting Record 7-Hour ISS Docking

Q: Why is NASA aiming for its fastest-ever U.S. crew trip to the ISS with Crew-13, and what makes that timeline possible?

NASA is targeting the fastest-ever U.S. crewed trip to the ISS because Crew-13 is using a same-day, rapid rendezvous profile that gets the astronauts aboard the station quickly and starts the handover with Crew-12 sooner. The practical reason is operational efficiency. A shorter transit reduces the time the crew spends confined inside Dragon before beginning station work, and it speeds the overlap period with Crew-12, which is due to return to Earth no earlier than Oct. 5. That helps NASA move more quickly into the long-duration science mission, which includes medical, crop-growth, and crew-health research. What makes the roughly 7-hour, 50-minute timeline possible is a favorable orbital alignment at launch combined with Dragon’s autonomous rendezvous capability and the maturity of NASA-SpaceX Commercial Crew operations. The Falcon 9 and Dragon are launching at a time that lets the spacecraft enter an orbit closely matched to the station’s path, minimizing the phasing time normally needed to catch up to the ISS. Dragon can then perform a sequence of preplanned orbital raises and approach maneuvers to dock the same day. This is not a general speed-up available on every mission. Fast station trips depend on launching into the right orbital geometry, with the station and launch site aligned so the spacecraft can reach the proper orbit quickly. If that alignment holds and on-orbit operations go as planned, Crew-13 will set the U.S. record for fastest crew transit to the ISS.

3 articles · Updated · NASA · Sep 29

Oct. 1 at 11:10 a.m. EDT is the scheduled liftoff for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission from Cape Canaveral, carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station.
The Dragon capsule is targeted to dock at 7 p.m. after a 7-hour, 50-minute trip that NASA says would be the fastest U.S. spacecraft transit to the station on record.
Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney, CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov will begin a long-duration science mission, then conduct a brief handover with Crew-12.
NASA plans live coverage starting at 9:20 a.m., with a prelaunch news conference on Sept. 30 and hatch opening plus welcome remarks scheduled for 8:45 p.m. after docking.
Crew-12 is expected to depart no earlier than Oct. 5, with NASA saying it will release more return details after Crew-13 arrives.