Mission leaders completed the Launch Readiness Review Sept. 30 after a leak found in preflight processing delayed the original launch date.

NASA and SpaceX have cleared the Crew-13 mission to proceed toward launch after mission leaders completed a Launch Readiness Review and polled “go” on Sept. 30. The four-member crew is scheduled to lift off aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at 11:10 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 1, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Crew-13 is SpaceX's 13th crew rotation mission for NASA and its 14th flight carrying astronauts to the International Space Station, including the Demo-2 test flight. 

NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins, commander, and Luke Delaney, pilot, will be joined by Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency and Sergey Teteryatnikov of Roscosmos as mission. specialists. Delaney, Kutryk and Teteryatnikov are making their first spaceflights.

Dragon set for fast trip to Harmony module

NASA plans docking at about 7 p.m. at the forward-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony module. The planned 7-hour, 50-minute trip from launch to docking would be the fastest by a U.S. spacecraft in space station history. The hatch is scheduled to open at 8:45 p.m., followed by welcome remarks. NASA said all times could change.

Crew-12 prepares to depart

After docking, Crew-13 will join the seven-member Expedition 75 crew for a brief handover with Crew-12. Expedition 75 includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Anil Menon and Jack Hathaway; ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot; and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, Andrey Fedyaev and Anna Kikina.

Crew-12 comprises Meir, Hathaway, Adenot and Fedyaev and is expected to begin its return to Earth no earlier than Oct. 5.

Crew sets research agenda

Dana Weigel, manager of NASA's Low Earth Orbit Program, said the crew will study human stem cell-derived tissues to help researchers treat heart disease and Parkinson's. She said the crew will also explore crop production, study blood flow abnormalities seen in space, and test new diagnostic medical equipment to monitor crew health. NASA stated the experiments will advance research and technology for future Moon and Mars missions.

Dragon repair moves launch to October

NASA stated Aug. 29 that preflight processing detected an oxidizer leak in Dragon's propulsion system. The launch had been targeted for Sept. 12. On Sept. 16, it said SpaceX replaced an oxidizer valve in the system. Dragon, named Grace, previously flew the private Axiom Mission 4 in June 2025. The Falcon 9 booster will make its third flight.

The crew completed a dry dress rehearsal at the launch pad Sept. 29. NASA said Wednesday that mission leaders polled "go" to proceed into the launch count after the Launch Readiness Review.

The U.S. Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 55% chance of favorable weather.