SpaceX describes surgical intervention before launch of latest crew mission
On Thursday, October 1, 2026, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, carrying four astronauts on the Crew-13 mission for a six-month stay on the International Space Station.
On Thursday, October 1, 2026, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, carrying four astronauts on the Crew-13 mission for a six-month stay on the International Space Station. Jessica Watkins leads the mission as commander, making history as the first Black woman to command a spacecraft.
She is joined by pilot Luke Delaney, Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. Before launch, ground teams performed an unusual repair on the spacecraft after detecting an oxidizer leak in the propulsion system. Engineers cut into a propellant line filled with toxic nitrogen tetroxide to replace a faulty valve, welding a new component in place without draining the fuel.
The successful fix avoided a lengthy delay and kept the mission on schedule. The crew reached orbit nine minutes after the 11:10 am EDT launch and prepared for a fast eight-hour transit to dock with the space station.
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Original publication: 2 October 2026 03:37
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