Four astronauts are on their way to the International Space Station after NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission lifted off at 11:10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, October 1, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The crew — NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins (commander) and Luke Delaney (pilot), Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov — is flying aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Grace on a Falcon 9 rocket. The roughly 7-hour, 50-minute journey to the station is the fastest launch-to-docking by a U.S. spacecraft in the history of the International Space Station, according to NASA.
During their expedition, the crew will advance research aboard the orbiting laboratory, including producing human stem cell-derived tissues in microgravity for personalized medicine and pharmaceutical testing, exploring crop production in space, and continuing human-health studies.
Video: NASA