Brief

SpaceX launches Crew‑13 with first Black woman commander and future astronaut father

The Oct. 1 launch carried four astronauts on a six‑month ISS mission, marking several historic firsts.

By Felo News Desk · Published Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:08:23 GMT

SpaceX launched NASA’s Crew‑13 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Oct. 1, 2026 at 11:10 a.m. EDT after a three‑week delay caused by a capsule fuel‑system leak. Commander Jessica Watkins became the first Black woman to lead a crewed orbital flight, guiding Luke Delaney, Canada’s Joshua Kutryk and Russia’s Sergey Teteryatnikov.

The flight is scheduled to reach the International Space Station in about eight hours, the quickest transit for a SpaceX crewed mission to date. Kutryk will be the fourth person to become a father while orbiting Earth, as his wife is due to give birth in late November.

Key facts

• Crew‑13 launched on Oct. 1, 2026 at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (independent.co.uk)
• Jessica Watkins is the first Black woman to command a crewed orbital mission (independent.co.uk)
• The crew includes Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk and Sergey Teteryatnikov (independent.co.uk)
• Transit to the ISS is planned to take about eight hours, the fastest for SpaceX (independent.co.uk)
• Joshua Kutryk will be the fourth astronaut to become a father while in orbit (independent.co.uk)

Sources

• [1] independent.co.uk
• [2] arstechnica.com