NASA SpaceX Crew-13 Launches Thursday from Cape Canaveral for ISS Science Mission

Four astronauts are set to launch Thursday morning from Cape Canaveral on a long-duration science mission to the International Space Station.

At 11:10 a.m. ET on Thursday, a SpaceX rocket carrying four astronauts is scheduled to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, bound for the International Space Station. The mission, designated Crew-13, is a long-duration spaceflight operated jointly by NASA and SpaceX. In the days leading up to launch, the crew has been in quarantine and completing final preflight operations at Kennedy Space Center — standard protocol designed to protect astronauts from illness before departure. Among the personal items making the trip is a 100-year-old family heirloom belonging to one of the four crew members, a small tradition common among astronauts flying long missions. Once aboard the ISS, the crew is expected to carry out an extended program of scientific research. Long-duration missions to the station typically last around six months, during which astronauts conduct experiments across fields ranging from biology to materials science in the microgravity environment. Crew-13 follows a string of crewed SpaceX Dragon missions that have rotated astronauts to and from the station since 2020, continuing NASA's reliance on commercial launch partners for human spaceflight to low Earth orbit.

Why it matters

Crew-13 is part of NASA's ongoing reliance on commercial partnerships for human access to the ISS, a program that has become the backbone of U.S. crewed spaceflight since the retirement of the Space Shuttle. The mission will keep the station continuously staffed and advance its long-term science objectives.

What's next

Watch for launch confirmation Thursday morning at 11:10 a.m. ET and subsequent docking with the International Space Station.

Key facts

• Launch is scheduled for Thursday at 11:10 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
• The mission is called Crew-13 and is a joint NASA and SpaceX operation
• Four astronauts make up the Crew-13 crew
• The crew spent pre-launch days in quarantine and completing preflight operations at Kennedy Space Center
• One astronaut is carrying a 100-year-old family heirloom aboard the spacecraft
• The mission is described as a long-duration stay focused on science aboard the ISS

Bias & framing notes

All three sources agree on the core facts of the mission and launch schedule. ABC News led with a human-interest angle — the century-old heirloom — rather than the mission itself. FOX Weather and WESH framed the story more straightforwardly around the launch event. No sources provided significant detail on the crew's scientific objectives or mission duration, limiting the depth of available information.

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