NASA to provide live coverage of Crew-13 launch and station docking

NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch, launch and docking activities for its SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station, the agency announced.

Crew-13 is scheduled to launch at 11:10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, October 1, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission is part of NASA's ongoing Commercial Crew Program, which uses SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the orbiting laboratory.

NASA said coverage of the mission will stream across a variety of platforms, with details on where to watch available through the agency's website. The broadcasts are expected to include prelaunch preparations, the launch itself, and the subsequent docking with the International Space Station.

Crew rotation missions like Crew-13 are a routine but essential part of maintaining continuous operations aboard the International Space Station, allowing for scientific research, station maintenance and technology demonstrations to continue uninterrupted as crews rotate in and out.

The mission adds to a growing track record for NASA's partnership with SpaceX, which has flown numerous crewed missions to the station since the Commercial Crew Program began carrying astronauts to orbit. Further details about the specific crew members and mission objectives for Crew-13 are expected to be released by NASA ahead of the launch.