On Thursday, four astronauts embarked on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that is expected to last until spring. Among them is a Canadian astronaut whose wife is set to deliver their child during his time in space.
SpaceX successfully lifted off with mission commander Jessica Watkins and her crew, representing NASA, after a three-week delay caused by repairs to a leaking fuel system in their capsule. Despite the morning’s thick cloud cover threatening to delay the launch, conditions improved enough for a safe departure.
This mission marks a significant milestone for SpaceX, as the journey to the ISS is anticipated to be the fastest yet, taking only eight hours to reach orbit, allowing the crew to arrive well before bedtime.
With a late morning launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Watkins made history by becoming the first Black woman to command a crew in orbit. A geologist with prior experience working on NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity, Watkins is returning to the ISS for her second visit following a long-duration mission in 2022.
“Thanks for an amazing ride,” Watkins communicated via radio after achieving orbit.
The rest of the team includes NASA’s Luke Delaney, a retired Marine; Canada’s Joshua Kutryk, a colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force; and Sergey Teteryatnikov from Russia, a former submariner. They will relieve a crew that has been stationed at the ISS since February.
“We feel like some of the luckiest people in the world,” Kutryk expressed prior to the launch.
This mission represents SpaceX’s 13th crewed launch for NASA, not counting the test flight conducted in 2020. The crew proudly adopts the designation Crew-13, which nods to the legacy of Apollo 13, the infamous 1970 moon mission that concluded with the safe return of its astronauts.
“We really wanted to honor their legacy, their resilience, and their grit, and bring a little bit of that with us,” Watkins stated. The crew’s journey to the launch pad was in black Teslas with license plates that read “Lucky 13.”
Kutryk will be the fourth astronaut to become a father while orbiting Earth, as his wife Heather is expected to give birth to their third child in late November. The Canadian Space Agency has pledged support for the family during this time.
“A lot of life-changing things can happen over six months,” remarked NASA manager Dana Weigel the day before the launch, assuring that the agency would keep Kutryk connected with his family.
In the past, NASA has facilitated similar connections; in 2004, astronaut Mike Fincke spoke with his wife from the ISS during the birth of their daughter. Five years later, Randy Bresnik, who will command the upcoming Artemis III mission, also called his wife from space when their child was born.
In contrast, Austrian astronaut Franz Viehböck learned about his daughter’s birth the day after he launched to the Mir space station in 1991, as news took longer to reach him.
