NASA and SpaceX are targeting October 1, 2026, for the launch of Crew-13, a four-member mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that will carry out scientific research, technology demonstrations and station operations.

The launch is scheduled for no earlier than 11:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The crew will travel aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched by a Falcon 9 rocket.

If the mission launches as planned, Dragon is expected to arrive at the ISS less than nine hours later, with docking scheduled for about 8 p.m. at the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.

After liftoff, the Falcon 9 will place Dragon into orbit.

The spacecraft will then perform a series of carefully controlled maneuvers to match the space station’s flight path before approaching and docking with the orbital laboratory.

Although Dragon is designed to dock autonomously, the crew can take manual control if necessary.

Crew-13 will be commanded by NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, with fellow NASA astronaut Luke Delaney serving as pilot.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov will serve as mission specialists.

For Watkins, the mission will mark her second trip to the space station and make her the first NASA astronaut to launch twice aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

Delaney, Kutryk and Teteryatnikov will be making their first spaceflights.

Once aboard the station, the four astronauts will join Expedition 75 for a long-duration mission.

Their work will include scientific investigations designed to improve understanding of human health in space and support future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars.

NASA said the crew will study human stem-cell-derived tissues linked to research into heart disease and Parkinson’s disease.

They will also investigate crop production, blood-flow abnormalities associated with spaceflight and new medical diagnostic equipment for monitoring astronauts’ health.

The mission is SpaceX’s 13th crew rotation mission to the International Space Station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and its 14th flight carrying astronauts to the station, including the Demo-2 test flight.

As final preparations continue, NASA and SpaceX teams are completing checks of the crew, Dragon spacecraft, Falcon 9 rocket and space station systems before liftoff.

The four astronauts are also undergoing quarantine and preflight preparations at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.