NASA is gearing up to broadcast the SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station, which could set a new record for the fastest U.S. journey to the orbiting laboratory. The mission is slated for liftoff on Thursday, October 1st, with a target docking time just hours later.
The Crew-13 mission is scheduled to launch at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will carry four space explorers: NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, along with Canada's Joshua Kutryk and Russia's Sergey Teteryatnikov. They are expected to spend an extended period on the ISS conducting vital scientific research and other mission tasks.
If all goes according to plan, the journey from launch to docking will take a mere 7 hours and 50 minutes. This would make it the speediest trip to the ISS ever achieved by a U.S. spacecraft, significantly shortening the travel time compared to previous missions.
NASA will provide live coverage across its platforms, including a prelaunch news conference on Wednesday, September 30th, and coverage beginning at 9:20 a.m. on launch day. Following the launch, audio-only communications will keep viewers updated as the Dragon spacecraft makes its way to the station. Live coverage will resume for the docking sequence, targeted for approximately 7 p.m. EDT to the Harmony module, with hatch opening and welcome remarks planned for 8:45 p.m.
Upon arrival, the Crew-13 team will undergo a brief handover with the current crew of NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission. The Crew-12 astronauts are anticipated to begin their return journey to Earth no earlier than Monday, October 5th, with further details to be released after Crew-13's safe arrival.
