Joshua Kutryk begins first space mission aboard Crew-13

Update — October 2, 2026: Crew-13 launched successfully from Florida on October 1, beginning Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk’s first space mission. The original publication date is preserved below.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying the Crew Dragon lifted off at 11:10 a.m. Eastern time on October 1, according to the Canadian Space Agency. Kutryk is scheduled to spend about six months aboard the International Space Station.

The four-person crew also includes NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. The mission includes Canadian and international health research, station maintenance and robotics work.

The agency said this is Canada’s fourth long-duration ISS mission and its first flight through NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Canadian astronauts have now participated in 19 missions.

Original report: On September 23, the agency announced October 1 as the earliest launch opportunity, subject to technical, operational and weather conditions.

Sources: Canadian Space Agency launch release, October 1, 2026; original scheduling release, September 23, 2026.

File photo of a SpaceX rocket on a launch pad: Anirudh via Unsplash, under the Unsplash License. Resized; not the Crew-13 launch.