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Next Stop: Space Launch Complex 40

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 crew, including astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov, departed Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building and are now on their way across the Florida spaceport to Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

After waving to family, friends, and the support team members gathered to see them off, the crew climbed into customized electric vehicles for the 20-minute ride through the Florida spaceport.

The vehicles are traveling in the middle of a convoy that includes support team members and security personnel. At the launch site, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft stand ready for the crew’s arrival.

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Jason Costa

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 Suited, Ready for Their Ride to Launch Pad

Just moments ago, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 crew began the walk that every NASA astronaut has made since Apollo 7 in 1968, heading to the elevator and down through the double doors below the Neil A. Armstrong Building’s Astronaut Crew Quarters at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Before leaving the suit-up room, the crew completed one last tradition: a card game. Dating back to the space shuttle era, NASA crews play cards before leaving the crew quarters ahead of launch until the commander, in this case NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, loses. It is hoped that by losing, the commander “burns off” bad luck, clearing the mission for only good luck.

The Crew-13 mission will fly aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft Grace, which made its maiden voyage to and from the International Space Station in 2025 as part of Axiom Space’s Axiom Mission 4.

In just a few moments, the crew members will say goodbye and receive well-wishes from their families and friends, then make their way to the customized electric crew transport vehicles to take them on the 20-minute journey to Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and their waiting spacecraft.

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Jason Costa

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 Suits Up for Launch

NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov are in the Astronaut Crew Quarters’ suit up room inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building in Florida.

A team of SpaceX suit technicians is assisting as the crew members put on their custom-fitted spacesuits and check for leaks. Designed for safety and functionality, the spacesuits supply pressurization to protect the crew from potential cabin depressurization. A port located on the suit’s thigh connects to life support systems, including air and power. Each suit also includes touchscreen-compatible gloves and a flame-resistant outer layer.

Though this is Watkins’ second flight on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, it will be her first time wearing the company’s updated inflight spacesuit. The latest design, first used by a NASA astronaut on the Crew-11 mission, removes the inseam zipper and adds a spiral zipper on the suit’s torso, allowing the suit to split into upper and lower halves, making it easier to put on and take off. The spacesuits are adjustable in height and can expand by more than 14 inches to fit a range of body types. The updates have helped streamline suit production for crewed missions.

Weather officials with the U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron currently predict a 40% chance of favorable conditions at the launch pad for liftoff.

Updates on today’s milestones will be posted on the mission blog, or @NASAKennedy on X, and NASA Kennedy on Facebook.

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Jason Costa

A Look at Today’s Launch Milestones

We’re about 4 hours away from the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission. Below are key milestones leading up to launch, along with critical events that occur shortly after liftoff. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to launch at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Time          Event (All times approximate)

7:00 a.m. | Suit donning and checkouts
7:40 a.m. | Crew walkout from Neil A. Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building
7:45 a.m. | Crew transportation to launch pad
8:05 a.m. | Crew arrives at pad and ascends tower
8:34 a.m. | Crew enters SpaceX Dragon spacecraft
8:50 a.m. | Communication check
8:55 a.m. | Seat rotation
9:00 a.m. | Suit leak checks
9:15 a.m. | Hatch close
10:25 a.m. | SpaceX launch director verifies go for propellant load
10:28 a.m. | Crew access arm retracts
10:31 a.m. | Dragon’s launch escape system is armed
10:35 a.m. | RP‑1 loading begins
10:35 a.m. | 1st stage liquid oxygen loading begins
10:54 a.m. | 2nd stage liquid oxygen loading begins
11:03 a.m. | Falcon 9 begins engine chill
11:09 a.m. | Dragon transitions to internal power
11:09 a.m. | Command flight computer begins final prelaunch checks
11:09 a.m. | Propellant tank pressurization begins
11:09 a.m. | SpaceX launch director verifies go for launch
11:09 a.m. | Engine ignition sequence start
11:10 a.m. | Falcon 9 liftoff
11:11 a.m. | Max Q
11:12 a.m. | 1st stage main engine cutoff
11:12 a.m. | Stage separation
11:12 a.m. | Stage 1 flip
11:12 a.m. | Second stage engine start ‑1
11:12 a.m. | Boostback burn starts
11:13 a.m. | Boostback burn ends
11:16 a.m. | 1st stage entry burn begins
11:16 a.m. | 1st stage entry burn ends
11:17 a.m. | Landing burn begins
11:17 a.m. | 1st stage landing
11:18 a.m. | Second stage engine cutoff ‑1
11:19 a.m. | Dragon separates from 2nd stage
11:20 a.m. | Dragon nosecone open sequence begins

NASA’s live launch broadcast begins at 9:20 a.m. and streams through a variety of platforms. Learn where to watch online:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

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Jason Costa

Launch Day for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 Mission

About 4.5 hours from now, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set for 11:10 a.m. EDT.

The U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 40% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff. The primary weather concerns for the launch area are the cumulus cloud rule, thick cloud layers rule, and flight through precipitation.

NASA’s live Crew-13 launch day blog coverage is underway, and broadcast coverage begins streaming at 9:20 a.m. across a variety of platforms. Learn where to watch online:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

During the mission, Crew-13 is scheduled to conduct a variety of science experiments aimed at advancing research and technology for future missions to the Moon and Mars, while also benefitting humanity back on Earth.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission is part of the agency’s Low Earth Orbit Program, which provides safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station through partnerships with American private industry. This collaboration opens access to low Earth orbit and the space station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. For more than 25 years, people have continuously lived and worked aboard the orbiting laboratory, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon as we prepare for Mars.

Follow the Crew-13 mission at: 

X: @NASA, @NASASpaceOps, @Space_Station, @ISS_CASIS, @NASA_Johnson, @NASAKennedy 

Facebook: @NASA, @ISS, @ISSCASIS, @NASAJSC, @NASAKennedy 

Instagram: @nasa, @ISS, @ISS_CASIS, @nasajohnson, @NASAKennedy 

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Jason Costa