🚀 SPLASHDOWN: The 14th flight of the SpaceX spacecraft successfully launched and landed in the Pacific Ocean after delivering the first 26 V3 Starlink satellites. TIPS: NASA is ready to launch SpaceX’s Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station. The agency plans to launch four astronauts at 11:10 a.m. from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, while docking at the space station. planned for around 7 p.m. The spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delany, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. The crew will carry out scientific experiments designed to advance research and technology for future missions to the Moon and Mars while improving life on Earth. NASA is set to launch SpaceX’s Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station on Thursday for a long-duration science mission. SWIFT TELESCOPE EXPERIENCES MAJOR SETUP The agency plans to launch four astronauts at 11:10 a.m. from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, while docking at the space station is scheduled for around 7 p.m. NASA will launch four astronauts to the International Space Station. (Joel Kowsky/NASA / Getty Images)The spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delany, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. According to NASA, the crew’s mission is to conduct research, technology demonstrations and maintenance aboard the orbital laboratory. Astronaut Josh Kutryk (left) and NASA astronaut Luke Delaney (right), with the help of training specialists, practice donning spacesuits in an International Space Station airlock simulator. (Josh Valcarcel/NASA) “During the mission, the crew will help researchers treat heart disease and Parkinson’s disease by studying tissues derived from human stem cells that can help improve medicine, disease modeling and pharmaceutical testing,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. WORLDSThe crew will also conduct scientific experiments designed to advance research and technology for future missions to the Moon and Mars while improving life on Earth. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped with the Crew Dragon capsule is seen the day before its launch. (Marco BELLO / AFP / Getty Images) “They will explore crop production, which is important for longer duration spaceflight missions, help us better understand the blood flow anomalies we see in space, and test new diagnostic medical equipment to monitor crew health,” Weigel said. The flight will mark the crew’s 13th mission to the International Space Station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE The SA notes that after liftoff, the spacecraft will travel at approximately 17,500 mph. Once in orbit, astronauts will monitor a series of maneuvers that will guide the spacecraft toward the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, where it will eventually dock autonomously. NASA SpaceX Crew-13 crew members (LR), Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov, NASA astronauts Luke Delaney and Jessica Watkins, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk speak to the media after arriving at the Kennedy Space Center on September 26, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Once docked, Crew-13 astronauts will enter the station and perform a brief transfer period with Crew-12 before the former crew returns to Earth aboard the Dragon. NASA ANNOUNCES ARTEMIS III ASTRONAUTS IN NEXT PHASE OF MISSION TO RETURN HUMANS TO THE MOON In addition to their other duties aboard the International Space Station, Crew-13 will assist with NASA’s SpaceX-35 commercial. resupply mission this fall and NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services-25 mission, which will take place later this year.
