September 30, 2026 — NASA is targeting 11:10 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, October 1, for the launch of SpaceX Crew-13 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The agency plans to begin launch coverage at 9:20 a.m. Eastern and says the Dragon spacecraft could dock with the International Space Station at about 7 p.m. The timing remains subject to weather and mission operations.
Who is flying
The planned crew consists of NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. They are headed to the station for a long-duration science mission. NASA has scheduled a prelaunch news conference for 5 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, September 30.
How to follow the mission
NASA says it will provide coverage of the launch and docking through its live platforms. Viewers can use NASA Live for the current stream and schedule. The agency also plans audio-only coverage of crew and flight-controller conversations during Dragon’s trip to the station after launch coverage ends.
A target launch time is a plan, not a confirmation that liftoff has occurred. Weather, technical checks and range conditions can move the schedule. Readers checking on Thursday should use NASA’s live mission updates for the latest status before making travel or viewing plans.
Source: NASA Crew-13 launch and docking advisory, published September 29, 2026. AskNovus reporting and explanation based on NASA’s announced schedule.
Illustrative rocket image: SpaceX / Unsplash; it does not depict Crew-13.