The Secret Base of the Rebel Black Dot Society: The Stars My Destination: Crew-13 Launch

Friday, October 2, 2026

The Stars My Destination: Crew-13 Launch

The Space Age
1 October 2026: Commander Jessica Watkins (N.A.S.A.), Pilot Luke Delaney (N.A.S.A.), Mission Specialist Joshua Kurtyk (C.S.A.), & Mission Specialist Sergey Teteryatnikov (Roscosmos) lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's SLC-40 aboard the Crew Dragon Grace (C213) atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The quartet docked the Grace with the International Space Station only eight hours after liftoff, for an intended six-month mission to the orbital laboratory.

Watkins is a veteran of a previous spaceflight (Crew-4 for Expeditions 67 & 68); Delaney, Kurtyk, & Teteryatnikov are rookies. Crew-13 are serving as members of I.S.S. Expedition 75 & will serve as members of Expedition 76.

Commentary: Watkins is the first N.A.S.A. astronaut to fly twice on a Crew Dragon, following currently on orbit cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (Crew-6 & Crew-12) & private astronauts Jared Isaacman (Inspiration4 & Polaris Dawn, & the current N.A.S.A. Administrator), Michael López-Alegría (Ax-1 & Ax-3), & Peggy Whitson (Ax-2 & Ax-4). Kurtyk is the first Canadian astronaut to fly on a Crew Dragon.

Crew-13 is the second flight of the Grace C213.

Commentary: I'm very glad there is a Crew-13. Back in the Space Shuttle days, the main reason why S.T.S.-9 (Columbia, 1983) was followed by S.T.S.-41-B (Challenger, 1984) was to avoid the prospect of an S.T.S.-13. Childish superstition has no place in spaceflight, an inherently hazardous venture.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Crew-13 & the Grace
Bob & Doug McKenzie featuring Geddy Lee, "Take Off" from Great White North (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Friday, October 2, 2026

The Stars My Destination: Crew-13 Launch

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