SpaceX Crew‑13 Rockets to Station in Record Time

A Falcon 9 lifted off from Florida early Thursday, carrying four space travelers toward the orbiting lab. The rocket blasted away from Launch Complex 40 at about 11:10 a.m. Eastern time. It marked the thirteenth crew flight to the station and set a new speed record for a U.S. vehicle reaching the outpost.

The crew includes NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delany, Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. Each brings a different background but they share the same mission: keep the station running and push science forward.

During their stay they will run experiments that could help treat heart disease and Parkinson’s using lab‑grown human tissues. They’ll also test ways to grow food in microgravity and try out new medical gear that monitors astronaut health. All of this work feeds into plans for future Moon and Mars trips.

Later this year the team will help capture two cargo ships — a SpaceX resupply flight in the fall and a Northrop Grumman mission later on. Their extra hands keep the station stocked and ready for the next wave of exploration.