The next group of astronauts is preparing to head to the International Space Station, where they will replace a crew that reached the orbital outpost eight months ago.
The impending launch of a joint NASA and SpaceX mission known as Crew-13 will be the first under the program since Crew-12 astronauts docked in mid-February at the ISS. The mission also marks the first time that astronauts will launch to space from the U.S. since the Artemis II mission sent a crew of four around the moon in April.
Once at the iconic – albeit, aging – space station, the four astronauts, including two Americans, will spend several months calling the ISS home.
Here's everything to know about the Crew-13 mission to the ISS.
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What is the SpaceX, NASA, 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.
For several months after their arrival, the astronauts will conduct scientific experiments meant for microgravity and maintain space station operations, which potentially includes spacewalks.
When is the Crew-13 launch date?
Following a brief delay, NASA and SpaceX announced they are working toward a Thursday, Oct. 1, launch of the Crew-13 mission, with a window for liftoff opening at 11:10 a.m. ET.
Is there a backup opportunity if the launch scrubs?
Rockets often aren't able to get off the ground within a target launch window for a variety of factors, including bad weather or technical issues detected with the spacecraft. If a launch is scrubbed, that means an attempt to start the mission was canceled for the day and a new date and time will have to be selected.
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.
Where in Florida is the Crew-13 launch?
For the second crewed mission to the ISS in a row, liftoff will take place at Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Who are the astronauts of the Crew-13 mission to ISS?
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 rocket will propel astronauts to International Space Station?
The mission will use SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. The two-stage, 230-foot rocket is the most active rocket in the world, having launched hundreds of times from both Florida and California.
The astronauts themselves will be atop the Falcon 9 in SpaceX's Dragon capsule – the only U.S. vehicle capable of transporting humans to the International Space Station. The medium-lift Falcon 9 launch vehicle will provide the initial burst of thrust at liftoff to get the Dragon into space.
What happens after the Falcon 9 separates from the Dragon vehicle?
Minutes into the launch, the Falcon 9's reusable lower-stage booster – making its third flight – will return for a landing at Landing Zone 40 (LZ-40) back at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, SpaceX said.
The upper section of the rocket will then continue flying in space to get the Dragon to a desired orbit where the vehicle – making its second crewed trip to the space station – can seperate and use its own thrusters to navigate the rest of the way to the space station.
What other astronauts are on the International Space Station?
Seven astronauts who are part of Expedition 75 are living and working aboard the International Space Station.
That includes members of the Crew-12 mission: NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, as well as the European Space Agency's Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
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.
What happens after Crew-13 docks at the ISS?
If the mission launches as scheduled, Crew-13 would be expected to reach the space station by 7 p.m. ET, Oct. 1, according to NASA.
The Dragon spacecraft is designed to dock autonomously at the space station, though the crew can take manual control if necessary, NASA said.
Once the Crew-13 contingent docks at the space station’s Harmony Module, which contains some sleeping quarters and connects the laboratories of the ISS, they'll be welcomed aboard the ISS. The next few days will serve as a handover period, as the new arrivals become familiarized with space station operations before the Crew-12 astronauts depart and head back to Earth on a different Dragon capsule.
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: 4 astronauts due to head to space station. What to know about Crew-13
