Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk is set to launch to the International Space Station on Thursday as part of NASA’s Crew-13 mission alongside astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney from NASA, and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. Weather conditions at Cape Canaveral are expected to be variable with potential showers and thunderstorms. Kutryk's wife is expecting their third child while he is in orbit, adding a personal element to the mission.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Joshua Kutryk, a Canadian astronaut and former Royal Canadian Air Force colonel, launched into space from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday, October 5th, at 11:10 AM ET. Kutryk is part of the SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) alongside NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, as well as Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. The launch was delayed due to a fuel system leak but ultimately proceeded successfully despite inclement weather conditions. Kutryk's former Grade 6 teacher Ted Hupé, now retired, watched the launch live from Canada. During their six-month mission aboard the ISS, the astronauts will conduct various scientific experiments focusing on human health and performance in space. Notably, Kutryk’s wife is expecting to give birth while he is away on his long-duration mission, marking him as the fourth Canadian astronaut to undertake such a prolonged stay at the ISS since 2004 when NASA established a radio link between astronauts and their families for significant life events. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully carried the crew into orbit, with the reusable booster returning safely to Earth after separation. The Crew Dragon capsule docked with the ISS around 7 PM ET on Thursday, completing an approximately eight-hour journey from launch to docking.
Written for “SpaceX Launch To ISS” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 19 other(s) covering the same event.
Kutryk's wife expecting their 3rd child while he's in orbit
All eyes will be on the weather Thursday morning, as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk prepares to launch to the International Space Station (ISS).
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NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins will serve as commander and Luke Delaney will be the pilot.
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They are heading to space on SpaceX's Crew Dragon.
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The weather at Cape Canaveral, Fla., is expected to be a little variable, with chances of showers and potential thunderstorms.
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Initially, Kutryk was to fly on a Boeing CST-100 Starliner, but after the company suffered major setbacks, he was reassigned to SpaceX.
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NASA has also been dealing with a potential issue on the ISS, as first reported by ArsTechnica on Monday.
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Canadarm2, which is used to catch some spacecraft and during spacewalks, is able to move around on the ISS like an inchworm,
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However, after conducting one of these "walk-off" manoeuvres, engineers detected "some communications errors."
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In a statement to ArsTechnica, NASA said that they and SpaceX were working to ensure there wouldn't be any GPS interference between Crew Dragon and the station during docking.
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At today's press conference, Lorie Glaze, NASA's associate administrator for human spaceflight said, "I was lucky enough earlier today to get to speak with Jessica.
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They are ready to fly."
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Dana Weigel, manager, Low Earth Orbit Program, echoed Glaze: "I also talked with the crew this morning when they were in crew quarters.
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They're doing great.
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They're ready to fly.
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The mission comes just six months after CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s trip around the moon as part of the Artemis II mission.
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Canada has a lot to be proud about, Mathieu Caron, director of CSA’s astronaut office, told CBC News' Karen Pauls ahead of the press conference.
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This medical device heading to space with Joshua Kutryk is also helping people here on Earth
Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk is heading to the ISS next week
"
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I think what people really need to remember is: Why do we have access to that incredible world-class laboratory?...
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Because Canada contributed the mobile servicing system, which is a complex robotic system that allowed the space station to be built.
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The crew will do a traditional walk-out from their quarantine facility at roughly 7:40 a.m. Thursday.
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crew → do → a.m.
After that, they will head out to the pad and ascend in the elevator to their Crew Dragon capsule and undergo preparations for launch.
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they → head → launch
On a personal note, Kutryk's wife Heather will be giving birth to their third child while he's in orbit.
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"So we'll look at which labour code applies," Caron said at the press conference, laughing.
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Once they launch, they will catch up with the ISS in a few hours.
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"If the launch does go tomorrow as planned, this will be the fastest Dragon mission to station around eight hours or so," said Weigel.
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If the weather doesn't co-operate Thursday, the next launch opportunity is Friday morning.
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"We always ensure that we fly only when we're ready," Glaze said.
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"He's so ready," said Caron of the CSA.
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"And hopefully the weather will co-operate tomorrow.
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So … you know, for him, for his family and for the mission at hand, really, we're [in] very high spirits."
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The Aporia
