A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft lifted off successfully at 11:10 a.m. EDT Thursday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch sent NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov on their way to the International Space Station.

The mission marks the 13th operational crew rotation flight under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The spacecraft, named Grace, is making its second trip to the station after previously flying a private Axiom mission. The Falcon 9 first stage landed successfully at Landing Zone 40 shortly after liftoff.

The crew will dock autonomously with the forward port of the station's Harmony module around 7 p.m. EDT, completing a roughly eight-hour journey that sets a record for the fastest launch-to-docking by a U.S. spacecraft to the ISS. Hatch opening is expected around 8:45 p.m. EDT.

Once aboard, the Crew-13 members will join Expedition 75 and conduct research focused on human health in microgravity, stem cell-derived tissues for disease modeling, crop production systems, and new diagnostic tools for astronauts. They are scheduled to remain on the station for about six months.

The successful launch highlights ongoing advancements in American commercial spaceflight capabilities, with SpaceX delivering reliable access to low Earth orbit for NASA and international partners. The crew will relieve members of the prior Crew-12 mission, who are expected to return to Earth early next week.