NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 traveled from Florida to the International Space Station in 7 hours, 55 minutes, setting the fastest launch-to-docking time by a U.S. spacecraft in ISS history. Four days later, NASA reported that the four-person crew was unpacking Dragon and learning the station’s systems as it began a six-month research mission.
The capsule lifted off at 11:10 a.m. EDT on Oct. 1 from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It docked autonomously at 7:05 p.m. with Harmony’s forward port. NASA said standard leak checks and pressurization would come before the hatch opened, then later reported the hatch opening at 9:19 p.m. The Associated Press reported that the launch followed a three-week delay to address a fuel-system leak in Dragon.
Four people made the trip: NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. NASA says they joined Expedition 75. AP reported that the rotation is expected to last about six months. Watkins is making her second trip to the station and became the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit, AP reported. She worked as a geologist on NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover team, AP reported.
One small detail gave the mission a playful edge: AP reported that the Crew-13 patch nods to Apollo 13 and a crocheted gold dragon named Lucky, wearing a four-leaf clover, traveled with the crew. The handmade figure was a small, personal touch aboard a flight otherwise tracked through launch times, docking procedures and mission plans.
The station was already busy when Crew-13 arrived. NASA’s Oct. 5 update described 11 people aboard during the crew swap. The four Crew-12 astronauts — Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev — were preparing for their scheduled Oct. 7 departure after a stay that began Feb. 14. NASA scheduled the quartet to undock at 8:05 a.m. EDT and splash down in the Pacific Ocean at 11:34 a.m. on Oct. 8, ending a stay of nearly eight months.
On Oct. 5, Kutryk studied tools and procedures to monitor an upcoming Dragon cargo vehicle’s approach and rendezvous. Meir reorganized the Kibo laboratory module, where some cargo would be stowed after arrival, NASA reported. Those tasks show the station’s work continuing during a personnel change: one crew prepares to return while another learns its systems and helps ready the orbiting laboratory for new supplies.
One research project will grow human stem-cell-derived tissues in microgravity. NASA says the experiments are intended to support work in personalized medicine, disease modeling and pharmaceutical testing for heart disease and Parkinson’s. The agency described these as research aims; the experiments are not treatments or results already achieved. Scientists will evaluate the findings over time.
Crew-13 will also test a new, mostly autonomous plant-growth system. NASA says the investigation will examine crop production and how plants grow outside dedicated facilities. The experiment adds a practical question to the mission’s science schedule: how can people study and manage plant growth in a space environment? NASA frames the broader Commercial Crew Program as supporting station research and technology for future missions beyond low Earth orbit. This plant experiment is a test, not a claim that a particular crop has already been grown successfully in space.
Health monitoring is another focus. NASA says the crew will support studies of factors connected to blood-flow abnormalities in microgravity and test a new in-flight diagnostic device for monitoring astronaut health. The agency describes these as investigations in progress, not proven medical tools or cures. The planned work spans tissues, plants and the human body, with astronauts helping researchers collect information in orbit.
Crew-13’s record can be stated in a single number: 7 hours and 55 minutes from launch to docking. Its larger story is a six-month stretch of coordinated work, with an international crew joining colleagues already aboard and supporting research that will take time to assess. NASA’s latest update showed the new arrivals still learning the station and handling the changeover. The fast journey brought them to the laboratory; the science, teamwork and daily routines will fill the months ahead.
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