Jessica Watkins Leads SpaceX Crew To ISS In Record-Breaking Flight
SpaceX launched commander Jessica Watkins and a four-person crew to the International Space Station on Thursday, establishing a new US speed record for reaching orbit while achieving a historic first with a Black woman leading a spaceflight. The mission follows a three-week delay caused by a leaking fuel system on their Dragon capsule.
Record-Breaking Transit to the International Space Station
The Thursday morning liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station sent the Crew-13 members to the orbiting laboratory in an eight-hour express transit. The space station’s favorable orbital location during launch enabled the rapid journey. Thick morning clouds nearly halted the countdown before clear skies permitted a safe launch for the spacecraft, which traveled on a Falcon rocket.
The mission is the 13th crewed flight launched by SpaceX for Nasa, excluding the 2020 test flight. The Crew-13 patch honors Apollo 13. Black Teslas bearing “Lucky 13” license plates transported the space flyers to the launch pad, where they also brought along a tiny crocheted golden dragon called Lucky featuring a four-leaf clover at its throat. “We figured it wouldn’t hurt to bring a little of our own luck just in case, but clearly we don’t need it,” Watkins said from orbit.
A Historic Crew Heading for a Six-Month Mission
Watkins, a geologist who previously worked with Nasa’s Mars rover Curiosity a decade ago and completed a lengthy space station stay in 2022, became the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit. “Thanks for an amazing ride,” she radioed after liftoff. Alongside her are NASA astronaut and ex-marine Luke Delaney, Royal Canadian Air Force colonel Joshua Kutryk representing Canada, and former Russian submariner Sergey Teteryatnikov. They replace four astronauts who have inhabited the station since February.
The crew will spend six months aboard the complex. During the mission, Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk will become the fourth man to become a father while in orbit. His wife, Heather Kutryk, is due to give birth to their third child in late November. Nasa manager Dana Weigel stated that the space agency will work to keep Kutryk connected to his family, while the Canadian Space Agency also pledged support. The mission marks another busy day of operations for SpaceX, which launched a Falcon rocket from California with over 100 mini satellites three hours after Crew-13, alongside a scheduled Florida launch carrying a classified satellite for the national reconnaissance office and the first orbital reach of the company’s Starship earlier in the week.
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