Four astronauts arrived at the International Space Station after an eight-hour flight that set a U.S. speed record, according to reporting adapted from the Associated Press and carried by Headline USA.
Record sprint, new commander
SpaceX launched a crew led by commander Jessica Watkins for NASA after a three-week delay to fix a fuel leak in their Dragon capsule, Headline USA reported. The outlet said the station’s position at launch enabled the unusually fast transit and that this was the quickest station rendezvous yet for any American organization, including NASA.
“Thanks for an amazing ride,” Watkins radioed after liftoff, according to the same reporting.
Who’s on board
The newcomers are NASA’s Luke Delaney, a retired Marine; the Canadian Space Agency’s Joshua Kutryk, a Royal Canadian Air Force colonel; and Russia’s Sergey Teteryatnikov, a former submariner, per Headline USA’s account. The outlet reported that Watkins became the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit.
Weather scare, then clear skies
Thick clouds threatened to halt the countdown at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, but conditions cleared enough for a safe late‑morning liftoff, the outlet said.
“Lucky 13” theme—and a mascot
This was SpaceX’s 13th crewed mission for NASA, excluding the 2020 test flight. The crew embraced the number: they rode to the pad in black Teslas with “Lucky 13” plates and carried a small crocheted golden dragon named Lucky, complete with a four‑leaf clover, Headline USA reported. From orbit, Watkins said they were “four of the luckiest humans on or off planet Earth.”
Fatherhood from orbit
Kutryk’s wife is due in late November, and the Canadian Space Agency plans to support the family during the mission, the outlet reported. NASA manager Dana Weigel said on the eve of launch, “A lot of life‑changing things can happen over six months,” adding that NASA would work to keep Kutryk connected. Headline USA also noted past cases: NASA provided an audio link for astronaut Mike Fincke during his child’s 2004 birth, and Randy Bresnik called into the hospital from orbit in 2009. In 1991, Austrian astronaut Franz Viehböck learned of his daughter’s birth a day after launch to Mir.
What’s next and a busy week for SpaceX
The four will replace astronauts who have lived aboard the station since February, per the outlet. Within hours of this launch, SpaceX sent up a Falcon rocket from California with more than 100 small satellites, and another Falcon was slated for late Thursday from Florida with a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload, according to Headline USA. The outlet also noted that SpaceX’s Starship reached orbit for the first time in the same week.
