Astronaut aboard SpaceX rocket has pregnant wife at home: "Making a sacrifice"

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.