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Four crew members of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-13 mission launched at 11:10 a.m. EDT Thursday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
\u201cCrew-13 is another demonstration of America\u2019s unmatched capability in human spaceflight and the strength of our commercial partnerships,\u201d said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. \u201cJessica, Luke, Joshua, and Sergey will carry forward important work aboard the International Space Station while helping us build the experience and capabilities needed for ambitious missions to the Moon and beyond. Congratulations to the crew and the NASA and SpaceX teams who made today\u2019s launch possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled a Dragon spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. The spacecraft will dock autonomously to the forward port of the station\u2019s Harmony module at approximately 7 p.m., making it the fastest launch-to-docking by a U.S. spacecraft in the history of the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur steady cadence of commercial crew launches demonstrates the essential role the International Space Station plays in sustaining our presence in Earth\u2019s orbit and sharpening the tools we\u2019ll take forward to the Moon and Mars,\u201d said Dr. Lori Glaze, associate administrator of NASA\u2019s Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate at the agency\u2019s headquarters in Washington. \u201cEach space station mission adds to our blueprint for exploration, and the work our crews carry out guides our plans while ensuring we keep pushing the boundaries of what\u2019s possible in human spaceflight.\u201d<\/p>\n
During Dragon\u2019s approximately 7-hour, 50-minute flight, SpaceX will monitor a series of automatic spacecraft maneuvers from its mission control center in Hawthorne, California. NASA will monitor space station operations throughout the flight from the Mission Control Center at the agency\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston.<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s live arrival coverage begins at 5:20 p.m. for rendezvous, docking, and hatch opening. After docking, the crew members will change out of their spacesuits and prepare cargo for offload before opening the hatch to the station\u2019s Harmony module around 8:45 p.m.<\/p>\n
NASA will stream Crew\u201113\u2019s arrival across multiple platforms. Learn where to watch at:<\/p>\n
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Watkins, Delaney, Kutryk, and Teteryatnikov will join the Expedition 75 crew, which includes NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina already aboard the station. After a brief handover, NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew\u201112 mission, with agency astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, will return to Earth.<\/p>\n
During its mission, Crew\u201113 will help advance research aboard the orbiting laboratory by using microgravity to produce human stem cell\u2011derived tissues for improved personalized medicine, disease modeling, and pharmaceutical testing for conditions such as heart disease and Parkinson\u2019s. The crew also will explore crop production through a new, mostly autonomous plant growth system and test how plants grow outside dedicated facilities. In addition, the crew members will continue human\u2011health studies that examine factors linked to blood-flow abnormalities in microgravity and will test a new inflight diagnostic device to monitor astronaut health.<\/p>\n
Crew-13 is part of NASA\u2019s Low Earth Orbit Program, which partners with private companies to provide reliable access to space, support research and development aboard the space station, and enable future missions beyond low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n
Learn more about NASA\u2019s Space Crew-13 at:<\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/p>\n -end-<\/p>\n Joshua Finch \/ Jimi Russell Steven Siceloff Sandra Jones \/ Anna Schneider
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov \/ james.j.russell@nasa.gov<\/p>\n
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov<\/p>\n
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov \/ anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov<\/p>\n<\/div>\n