Four astronauts have arrived at their new orbital home after launching from Florida on a SpaceX rocket.
The launch of a mission known as Crew-13 marked the first time
that astronauts embarked on a spaceflight from the U.S. since the historic Artemis II moon mission captivated the world in April. It also was the first time in three months that any Americans reached space after a NASA astronaut launched in July to the International Space Station with two Russians from Kazakhstan.For the next several months, the two Americans, one Canadian and one Russian comprising the Crew-13 contingent will be among seven astronauts at the station – at least, following the imminent departure of its outgoing Crew-12 predecessors.
Here's a little bit about the Crew-13
mission, as well as a look of photos of the launch to and arrival at the International Space Station.
When was the Crew-13 launch in Florida?
The Crew-13 mission launched right on schedule at 11:10 a.m. ET Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, NASA said in a press release.
The astronauts hitched a ride to space on a SpaceX Dragon vehicle, which was perched atop a Falcon 9 rocket that provided the initial burst of thrust at liftoff to send the crew on its way.
Who are the astronauts of the Crew-13 mission?
The crew includes NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, as well as Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. Of the crew, Watkins is the only one to have been to space before, having reached the ISS in 2022 as part of the Crew-4 mission.
Crew-13 astronauts reach International Space Station
The astronauts aboard the Dragon reached the space station in record time, docking autonomously to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module at about 7 p.m. – less than eight hours after launching. The arrival was the fast trip to the ISS by a U.S. spacecraft in the nearly 26-year history of the International Space Station, according to NASA.
Following a standard period of leak checks and pressurization, the hatches connecting the Dragon and space station were opened at 9:19 p.m. ET, allowing the new arrivals to enter the ISS, NASA said in its most recent blog post.
See photos of Crew-13 launching to, reaching ISS
What is the Crew-13 mission?
Contracted under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, the Crew-13 mission is the latest that tasks tech mogul Elon Musk's SpaceX with sending a contingent of astronauts to the International Space Station, where they will live and work.
A few days after Crew-13's arrival – likely Oct. 5 – the mission's Crew-12 predecessors will depart the space station and head back to Earth for a water landing off the coast of California, according to NASA. Also at the station is NASA astronaut Anil Menon, who arrived in mid-July with Russians Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina on a Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft for an eight-month mission.
For several months, the astronauts will conduct scientific experiments meant for microgravity and maintain space station operations, which potentially includes spacewalks.
“Jessica, Luke, Joshua, and Sergey will carry forward important work aboard the International Space Station while helping us build the experience and capabilities needed for ambitious missions to the moon and beyond," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement. "Congratulations to the crew and the NASA and SpaceX teams who made today’s launch possible.”
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SpaceX Crew-13 reaches ISS in record time after Florida launch
