SpaceX Crew-13 Sets Record for Fastest US Flight to ISS
Quick Look
- Four astronauts aboard SpaceX's Crew-13 mission docked at the International Space Station in 7 hours and 55 minutes, setting a new record for the fastest US spacecraft trip to the outpost.
- The crew includes NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, the first Black woman to command an orbital crew, along with Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk, and Sergey Teteryatnikov.
- The flight surpassed previous US missions and highlights continued US-Russia cooperation on the ISS despite broader geopolitical tensions.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The International Space Station has been continuously occupied for 25 years, with NASA committed to operating it through 2030. Crew-13 is replacing Crew-12, which is set to return to Earth on Monday.
Four astronauts docked at the International Space Station (ISS) port on Thursday after completing the fastest flight by a US spacecraft to the outpost, NASA officials said.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Crew-13 aboard, lifted off at 11:10 a.m. local time (1510 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and within 7 hours and 55 minutes, its capsule, SpaceX Dragon "Grace," docked at the ISS — setting a record for a US trip to the ISS.
The flight by the spacecraft was the quickest so far, not only for Elon Musk's company, but for any American entity, including NASA.
The time taken for a trip to the ISS mainly depends on the distance between the ISS and the spacecraft at the time of launch.
The space station's convenient location allowed the spacecraft to reach it faster.
The last crew, which took off from the United States, took more than 30 hours to reach the station.
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft set the overall record for a flight to the ISS in October 2020, reaching the station in just over three hours.
What do we know about the crew?
The new ISS crew was set to arrive in mid-September, however, its flight was delayed due to a leak aboard the Dragon.
It includes Americans Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Joshua Kutryk, and Russian Sergey Teteryatnikov
Watkins, the Crew-13's commander, became the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit. The crew is slated to stay at the ISS for six months and will be replacing Crew-12, which is set to return to Earth on Monday.
Despite many international cooperation agreements collapsing after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the United States and other ISS partners still work with Russia on the space station.
The ISS has been continuously in use for the last 25 years. NASA has committed to operating it through 2030.
Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the "star" or "preferred" button , so you'll always see our verified news first.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Crew-13 will remain aboard the ISS for approximately six months before returning to Earth.
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What caused the delay in Crew-13's launch due to a leak aboard the Dragon spacecraft?
- What specific scientific experiments will Crew-13 conduct during their six-month stay?
- How will the record-setting flight time influence future mission planning for ISS crew rotations?
