10/01/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/01/2026 07:42
This will be the second flight to the space station for Jessica Watkins, who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017. Watkins grew up in Lafayette, Colorado, and earned an undergraduate degree in geological and environmental sciences from Stanford University in California, as well as a doctorate in geology from the University of California, Los Angeles. As a geologist, she studied the Martian surface and was a member of the Curiosity rover science team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Watkins first launched to the space station as a crew member aboard NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission, spending a total of 170 days in space across space station Expeditions 67/68 in 2022. She will be the first NASA astronaut to launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft twice.
Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021, Luke Delaney earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville and a master's degree in aerospace engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. The Florida native is a distinguished naval aviator who participated in exercises throughout the Asia Pacific region and conducted missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. As a test pilot, Delaney evaluated developmental aircraft systems and served as a test pilot instructor. He also worked as a research pilot at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, where he supported airborne science missions. This is the first spaceflight for Delaney.
The Crew-13 mission also is the first spaceflight for Joshua Kutryk. Prior to his selection as a CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut in 2017, he served as a CF-18 fighter pilot, flying missions in support of Canada's NATO, U.N., and North American Aerospace Defense Command commitments. A native of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Kutryk also worked as an experimental and operational test pilot at the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment in Cold Lake, Alberta. Kutryk received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, and he is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Test Pilot school in Edwards, California. He has master's degrees in space studies, flight test engineering, and defense studies.
This mission will be Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov's first trip to the orbiting laboratory. He graduated from the Naval Academy, St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2011 as an engineer specializing in ship power plant operations. Before his selection as a test cosmonaut, Teteryatnikov served in various naval engineering roles, including undersea vessels and specialized engine room operations. He was selected for the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center Cosmonaut Corps in 2021 and has served as a test cosmonaut since 2023.
Details about the mission and NASA's Low Earth Orbit Program can be found by following the mission blog, @NASAKennedy on X, or NASA Kennedy on Facebook.
Jason Costa