In the days leading up to launch, teams will complete final preparations and readiness reviews to confirm that the astronauts, International Space Station, SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket are ready for flight. Crew-13 is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Crew-13 could reach the space station in less than nine hours

If Crew-13 launches on October 1, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is expected to arrive at the International Space Station within nine hours. Docking at the forward port of the station’s Harmony module is scheduled for around 8 p.m.

Following liftoff, the Falcon 9 rocket will carry Dragon into orbit. The spacecraft will then maneuver to match the space station’s path before docking. During this carefully controlled process, Dragon will align with and firmly connect to its designated docking port.

Harmony is one of the space station’s connectivity modules and provides a docking location for visiting spacecraft.

Meet the four Crew-13 astronauts

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins will serve as the spacecraft commander, while NASA astronaut Luke Delaney will serve as the pilot. CSA (Canadian Space Agency) cosmonaut Joshua Kutlik and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Teteryatnikov will serve as mission specialists.

After arriving at the space station, the four astronauts will become members of Expedition 75. Space station expeditions are long-duration missions during which crews conduct scientific research, maintain orbital laboratories, and support technology demonstrations and other activities.

Crew-13 completes quarantine before launch

Crew-13 is currently in quarantine at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The standard pre-flight precaution is designed to reduce the risk of illness before launch.

The crew is scheduled to depart for NASA Kennedy on Saturday, September 26, with final preparations continuing ahead of the October 1 launch.