π UPDATE β October 1, 2026
Crew-13 is off the ground. SpaceX's Falcon 9 lifted off from SLC-40 at 15:10 UTC on October 1, carrying Dragon Grace and her crew toward the ISS exactly on schedule. Stage separation occurred cleanly, and the booster executed a Return-to-Launch-Site burn before touching down at LZ-40 at approximately T+8 minutes. Dragon separated from the second stage at T+13 minutes and is now flying free en route to the station β SpaceX's live tracker is active for the full approach.
π SpaceX (@SpaceX) β Oct 1, 2026
"Liftoff of Crew-13!"
π¬ SpaceX (@SpaceX) β Oct 1, 2026
"Falcon 9 lands at LZ-40!"
π UPDATE β October 1, 2026
Launch is now imminent. As of ~T-35 minutes (14:35 UTC), SpaceX confirmed propellant loading of Falcon 9 is underway and Dragon's escape system has been armed. The crew access arm has retracted from the vehicle, and the T-20 minute vent was observed at 14:50 UTC. The Dragon capsule flying this mission is flight-proven, having previously supported the Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station.
@SpaceX Β· Oct 1, 2026
T-35 minutes until liftoff. Propellant load of Falcon 9 is underway, and Dragon's escape system is armed
π UPDATE β September 30, 2026
With launch now less than 24 hours away, NASASpaceflight reports that Crew-13 is on track to set a new record for the shortest time between launch and docking ever achieved by a Crew Dragon vehicle. If successful, this fast-approach profile would mark a milestone for SpaceX's crew transportation cadence. The Falcon 9 and Dragon remain on schedule for Thursday's liftoff. Coverage from Sawyer Rosenstein at NASASpaceflight is live ahead of the mission.
π¦ @NASASpaceflight Β· Sep 30, 2026
"SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon are set to launch Crew-13 to the ISS Thursday, a mission that is also set to mark the shortest time between launch and docking for any Crew Dragon vehicle."
π UPDATE β September 29, 2026
With just two days to go before the October 1 launch, SpaceX, NASA, and the Crew-13 astronauts have successfully completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities at Kennedy Space Center. The dress rehearsal is a standard but critical pre-launch milestone, walking the crew and ground teams through every step of launch day procedures β from suit-up to pad walkout to Dragon ingress. Completion of the rehearsal signals that all parties are go for the upcoming liftoff to the International Space Station.
π¦ @SpaceX β Sep 29, 2026
"Crew-13, SpaceX, and @NASA completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities"
View on X Β· 853 likes Β· 58,990 views
π UPDATE β September 28, 2026
SpaceX has successfully completed a static fire test of the Falcon 9 rocket assigned to Crew-13, clearing a key pre-launch milestone. The company confirmed via its official X account on Sunday morning that the October 1 launch target remains on track. The static fire β a brief, tethered engine ignition used to verify propulsion system health β is one of the final checkboxes before a crewed mission is cleared to fly. No issues were reported, keeping Thursday's liftoff firmly in the schedule.
"Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete β targeting Thursday, October 1 for launch of @NASA's Crew-13 mission to the @Space_Station" β @SpaceX, Sept. 28, 2026
SpaceX confirmed on September 25 that the Dragon spacecraft has arrived at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, putting the Crew-13 mission on track for its October 1 liftoff to the International Space Station. It's the 13th operational crewed flight under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, and after a delay that pushed the original early-September date, the team appears ready to go. Here's everything worth knowing before the countdown begins.
1. Launch is set for October 1 at 11:10 a.m. ET
The targeted liftoff window opens Thursday, October 1, at 11:10 a.m. Eastern Time (1510 GMT). A backup opportunity is available the following day, October 2, at 10:47 a.m. ET. If the launch proceeds on schedule, Dragon is expected to dock with the ISS roughly nine hours after liftoff β around 8 p.m. EDT that evening. That's a tight, same-day-ish transit that has become routine for SpaceX crewed missions.
2. The delay was caused by an oxidizer leak β now fixed
Crew-13 was originally targeting early September. During prelaunch processing, engineers detected an oxidizer leak in Dragon's propulsion system. SpaceX traced it to a faulty oxidizer valve, which was successfully replaced by September 16. The fix pushed the schedule back by roughly three weeks but avoided any hardware swap that would have required a longer stand-down. According to NASA, the capsule passed subsequent checks before being cleared for pad rollout.
3. This Dragon capsule has flown before β on Crew-4
The vehicle heading to orbit on October 1 is a veteran. This specific Dragon capsule previously carried the Crew-4 mission to the ISS, making Crew-13 its second human spaceflight. SpaceX routinely reuses Dragon capsules as part of the Commercial Crew Program, with each vehicle certified for multiple flights. The Falcon 9 booster assigned to this mission is also on its third flight, having previously launched Crew-12 and one Starlink mission.
4. Four astronauts from three countries are on the crew
Crew-13 is an international mission. NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins serves as Commander, with NASA astronaut Luke Delaney as Pilot. Joining them are Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov, both flying as Mission Specialists. The four-person crew will live and work aboard the ISS for approximately seven months before returning to Earth.
5. Pad 40 is SpaceX's workhorse launch site
Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station has become SpaceX's primary Falcon 9 pad for both crewed and commercial missions. It sits just south of the historic Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, which SpaceX uses for heavier-lift Falcon Heavy and Starship operations. Routing Dragon through SLC-40 for crew missions is standard practice, and the pad's high cadence means ground crews are well-rehearsed for the processing steps ahead of a crewed launch.
6. A seven-month ISS expedition follows docking
Once Dragon docks at approximately 8 p.m. EDT on October 1, the Crew-13 astronauts will hand off station operations from the outgoing crew and settle in for a roughly seven-month stay. That puts their return window somewhere around late April or May 2027. During that time the crew will conduct science experiments, maintenance tasks, and potentially spacewalks β the full scope of which NASA will detail closer to launch. For SpaceX coverage of the mission as it progresses, check back here.
With Dragon now at the pad and the propulsion issue resolved, the main variable between now and October 1 is Florida weather. SpaceX and NASA will hold a launch readiness review in the days ahead before giving the final go for fueling and liftoff.
Sources & reporting notes
The links below identify the material source records used for this report.
- @SpaceX on X (2026-09-25T00:16:43.000Z) β Direct source
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