In a fitting tribute to history, NASA and SpaceX launched the Crew-13 mission on October 1, 2026, coinciding with the sixty eighth anniversary of the agency’s founding. Four astronauts soared from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon spacecraft named Grace, lifting off precisely at 11:10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. After a seamless ascent and the successful recovery of the Falcon 9 first stage at Pad 40, Commander Jessica Watkins welcomed her crew into orbit, praising the ground teams for their courage and dedication in getting them safely off the launch pad.
This particular voyage is already making headlines for its unprecedented speed, marking the fastest American crewed flight to the International Space Station to date. According to Julianna Scheiman, SpaceX’s director of NASA Science and Dragon programs, the transit time is expected to clock in at just seven hours and fifty minutes. She explained that while such short durations are rare, they were made possible by ideal orbital mechanics and a perfectly timed position of the space station relative to the launch site. Although it does not beat the overall world record held by a Russian Soyuz mission in 2020, it represents a significant milestone for U.S. spaceflight efficiency.
Following the lift off, officials from both NASA and SpaceX gathered for a post launch press briefing featuring leaders like NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to discuss the technical success of the mission. As the Crew Dragon Grace continues its chase toward its destination, it has begun opening its nosecone to prepare for arrival. The astronauts are scheduled to dock with the orbiting laboratory around 7 p.m., kicking off a rigorous six month scientific tour in low Earth orbit before returning home.