Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), completing his first trip to space while helping SpaceX set a new U.S. launch-to-docking record. Kutryk and his three Crew-13 crewmates docked aboard Dragon Grace at the forward port of the station’s Harmony module at 7:05 p.m. ET Thursday, according to NASA.
The docking came just 7 hours and 55 minutes after launch, making it the fastest trip from launch to the ISS by a U.S. spacecraft in the station’s history.
Crew-13 lifted off at 11:10 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Joining Kutryk are NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.
After docking, the crew remained aboard Dragon for just over two hours before the hatch opened at 9:19 p.m. ET, allowing them to enter their new home for the next several months.
Docking confirmed! pic.twitter.com/Y1xwyaevSL
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 1, 2026
For Kutryk, the flight marks several milestones. The Alberta-born Royal Canadian Air Force colonel is the first Canadian Space Agency astronaut to fly under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. His mission is also Canada’s fourth long-duration stay aboard the ISS.
During his approximately six months in orbit, Kutryk will participate in Canadian and international research, with much of his work focused on human health. Experiments will study areas including bone density, cardiorespiratory health, anemia, mental health and how astronauts perceive orientation in microgravity.
The mission comes just six months after fellow Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen travelled around the Moon aboard Artemis II.
Crew-13 is SpaceX’s 13th operational crew rotation mission for NASA and its 14th crewed flight to the ISS under the Commercial Crew Program when including Demo-2.
The crew also continued a tradition dating back to 2020 by riding to the launch pad in Teslas. For Crew-13, the cars were fittingly equipped with “Lucky 13” plates.
Always get the latest - make Drive Tesla your preferred source on Google
Are you buying a Tesla? If you enjoy our content and we helped in your decision, use our referral link to get three months of Full Self-Driving (FSD).Drive Tesla uses affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
