Six months have elapsed since any astronaut has reached space following a rocket launch on U.S. soil.
As of April 1, the four astronauts who traveled around the moon on NASA's historic Artemis II mission were the most recent spacefarers to leave Earth behind following a liftoff in Florida.
Now, that's due to change with the launch of a mission known as Crew-13. The venture, a joint undertaking between NASA and tech mogul Elon Musk's SpaceX, will send the next crew of astronauts for a stint at the International Space Station.
Two Americans, one Canadian and one Russian are prepared to embark for a multi-month stay at the iconic orbital outpost, where they'll live and work while orbiting about 250 miles above Earth.
Here's what to know about the Crew-13
mission, including the target launch date and time.
Crew-13 mission delayed from September
Originally slated for a mid-September launch, the Crew-13 mission was delayed after an issue was detected with the spacecraft selected to transport the astronauts to the space station.
NASA and SpaceX, who jointly operate the mission, said the trouble was an oxidizer leak detected on the propulsion system of the Dragon capsule, which carries the astronauts in orbit following liftoff.
When is the Crew-13 launch? SpaceX, NASA, target liftoff to ISS
Now that the leak has been repaired, NASA and SpaceX announced they are working toward a Thursday, Oct. 1, launch of the mission. SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 – a two-stage 230-foot rocket – is due to get off the ground as early as 11:10 a.m. ET at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to the spaceflight company.
The Falcon 9 will provide the initial burst of thrust to get the Dragon vehicle into orbit, where it will separate to continue its journey to the ISS, NASA said in a blog post.
A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. According to SpaceX, the backup window opens at 10:47 a.m. ET Friday, Oct. 2.
What is the Crew-13 mission?
Contracted under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, the Crew-13 mission is the latest that tasks SpaceX with sending a contingent of astronauts to the International Space Station, where they will live and work.
For several months after their arrival, the astronauts will conduct scientific experiments meant for microgravity and maintain space station operations, which potentially includes spacewalks.
Meet the next group of astronauts headed to space
The astronauts, who arrived Sept. 26 in Florida, are in the midst of a two-week quarantine process to avoid contracting or spreading illnesses prior to liftoff, according to NASA.
Here's a look at the four astronauts NASA selected for the Crew-13 mission:
- Jessica Watkins, a NASA astronaut who will serve as commander of the mission. A native of Colorado, Watkins is a geologist who will make her second trip to space since being selected as an astronaut in 2017.
- Luke Delaney, a NASA astronaut who will be the pilot. A native of Florida, Delaney is a naval aviator who will be making his first trip to space since being selected as an astronaut in 2022.
- Joshua Kutryk, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut who will be a mission specialist. Kutryk, a fighter pilot from Alberta, Canada, will be the first CSA astronaut selected for NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
- Sergey Teteryatnikov, a Roscosmos cosmonaut from Russia who is the second mission specialist. Teteryatnikov is making his first trip to space.
What astronauts are on the International Space Station?
Seven astronauts who are part of Expedition 75 are living and working aboard the International Space Station.
The Crew-13 astronauts, though, are due to replace the four members of the Crew-12 mission.
Those four astronauts – NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, as well as the European Space Agency's Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev – docked in mid-February at the orbital outpost and are due to depart a few days after their replacements arrive to allow for a handover period. In a deviation from standard protocol, that mission's Crew-11 predecessors had departed before the new astronauts' arrival due to an unprecedented medical evacuation.
NASA astronaut Anil Menon arrived in mid-July at the space station with Russians Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina on a Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft for an eight-month mission.
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: No astronauts have launched from the US in 6 months. Crew-13 is next
