SpaceX takes four astronauts to the space station
Crew-13 begins a months-long mission researching health, food cultivation and technology for future space flights.
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SpaceX took four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday. The Crew-13 crew will conduct research there for months and join the existing expedition.
The crew consists of NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. The launch took place from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida, using a Falcon 9 rocket and a Dragon capsule.
NASA confirmed in advance that the mission is intended for scientific experiments, technology trials and maintenance work on the space station. The launch had previously been postponed after an issue involving a leaking fuel system on the Dragon capsule was investigated. The rocket eventually lifted off on Thursday and reached orbit around the Earth.
Part of the research focuses on human health in weightlessness. Among other things, the crew will study tissue made from stem cells, examine factors associated with abnormalities in blood flow and test a diagnostic device that can monitor health during the flight.
Food cultivation also has a place in the programme. NASA wants to install a largely automated growing facility and grow plants in special cultivation cushions. Such experiments should provide information for longer missions, but do not automatically lead to agricultural technology that can be applied directly on Earth.
The mission also has a strategic dimension. American, Canadian and Russian space travellers continue to work together in a laboratory that depends on international infrastructure, even as political relations between the countries involved remain tense. Cooperation on board does not mean that broader political conflicts have been resolved.
Crew-13 is an operational mission, not a new scientific publication. The announced experiments are research questions and technology trials; their results can only be assessed after they have been conducted and analysed. NASA says the crew will remain on the ISS for approximately six months and relieve the previous crew there.
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The launch, crew and research objectives have been confirmed by NASA and AP. The article presents the experiments as planned research and makes no claims about results that do not yet exist.
- confirmed SpaceX launched four astronauts to the ISS aboard Crew-13 on 1 October. — Confirmed by AP and NASA. source
- confirmed The crew consists of Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk and Sergey Teteryatnikov. — NASA mission information. source
- confirmed The mission is researching, among other things, stem-cell tissue, blood flow, diagnostics and plant growth. — NASA description of the research programme. source
- confirmed The mission will last approximately six months. — NASA and AP describe the mission as a long-term stay on the ISS. source
Editor's note
The launch and the composition of the crew have been confirmed by AP and NASA. The health, food and technology studies mentioned are mission plans; results are not yet available and there is no peer-reviewed breakthrough.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „spacex nasa”
- AD — „spacex nasa”
- de Volkskrant — „spacex nasa”