The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying Crew‑13 on its way to the International Space Station. The four‑person crew includes two NASA astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut and a Canadian astronaut whose wife is two months into her pregnancy and expected to give birth during the mission, making them the fourth team in history to have a child born while one parent is in space.
The launch was originally slated for mid‑September but was postponed to replace a valve in the Crew Dragon’s propulsion system. The spacecraft will reach the ISS in roughly 7 hours and 50 minutes, where the crew will carry out experiments and research that will inform future missions to the Moon and Mars, NASA officials said.
