NASA and SpaceX are targeting 11:10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 1, as the earliest launch opportunity for the Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station, the agency said in its latest Crew-13 mission update. The four-person crew will lift off aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The launch date also sets the clock for Crew-12. Once Crew-13 arrives and completes a short handover, the four Crew-12 members will undock and head for a splashdown off the coast of California, ending a stay that NASA describes as nearly eight months.

Both ends of the swap depend on factors that can shift quickly: final readiness reviews in Florida and weather at the splashdown sites.

Launch Window and Docking Plan

If Crew-13 launches on time, it will reach the station less than nine hours later, with docking planned for about 8 p.m. EDT at the forward-facing port of the Harmony module, according to NASA. Over the coming days, teams will complete prelaunch activities and reviews to confirm that the crew, the station, the Dragon spacecraft and the Falcon 9 rocket are ready.

NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov will fly as mission specialists. After arrival, all four will join the station's Expedition 75 crew.

The crew is in quarantine at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and is scheduled to travel to Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Sept. 26.

The Oct. 1 time is a target, not a guarantee. Crewed launches can move for technical checks, weather at the launch site or conditions along the rocket's ascent path.

Valve Replacement Cleared the Way for a New Date

Crew-13 was originally scheduled to launch Sept. 12. On Aug. 29, NASA announced the Crew-13 launch postponement after teams detected an oxidizer leak in the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system during standard prelaunch processing, Space.com reported. NASA said joint teams would perform additional tests and data reviews and complete any necessary rework before launch.

In a Sept. 16 update, NASA said the team had successfully replaced an oxidizer valve in Dragon and was targeting early October. The agency announced the Oct. 1 target on Sept. 22. The readiness reviews over the coming days are the formal checkpoints that will confirm whether Dragon is cleared to fly.

The delay comes during an unusual year for station staffing. In January, NASA brought Crew-11 home more than a month early after a serious medical issue involving one crew member, leaving three people aboard the station until Crew-12 arrived in February.

Crew-12 Nears the End of Its Stay

Crew-12 launched Feb. 13 and includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, the station commander, and Jack Hathaway, along with ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. According to the NASA space station blog, the four have begun packing personal items for the Dragon that will carry them home after Crew-13 arrives.

Their final weeks have included research with value on Earth. Meir and Adenot used the EchoFinder-2 study, which pairs ultrasound hardware with augmented reality and artificial intelligence, to scan each other's organs while a technician on the ground guided them in real time. NASA said the results may help future crews use medical monitoring tools without guidance from doctors on the ground as they travel farther from Earth.

Hathaway collected samples from a station water dispenser for microbial analysis on Earth. Fedyaev tested a Roscosmos lower body negative pressure suit, which reverses the headward fluid shift caused by weightlessness and may ease his readjustment to gravity after what NASA called his nearly eight-month spaceflight.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Anna Kikina and Pyotr Dubrov, who arrived separately aboard a Soyuz spacecraft, will remain aboard after the swap.

Weather Will Shape Both Ends of the Swap

In Florida, military weather officers typically issue launch forecasts in the days before liftoff, and conditions along Dragon's ascent corridor over the Atlantic also matter.

On the return end, NASA said in a media advisory on Crew-12's return that mission teams will review weather conditions at the splashdown sites off the coast of California before the crew leaves the station. Wind, waves, and visibility all affect a safe recovery, and Dragon departures have been delayed in the past to wait for acceptable conditions.

NASA has not yet announced an undocking or splashdown date for Crew-12. Those dates depend on when Crew-13 arrives and how long the handover lasts.

For Space Coast residents and visitors, the late-morning launch time may make the Falcon 9 visible from public viewing areas, weather permitting. Anyone planning to watch should confirm the time through NASA's official channels on launch day, since schedules can change with little notice.

The next milestones are the crew's arrival at Kennedy on Sept. 26 and the final readiness reviews. If Crew-13 flies on Oct. 1 and docks that evening, Crew-12's homecoming would follow after the handover and a favorable weather check off California.

The bottom line: after replacing a leaking Dragon valve, NASA and SpaceX are targeting Oct. 1 for Crew-13, and that launch is what unlocks Crew-12's return. The main remaining variables are final spacecraft reviews and weather at both ends of the trip.

What Readers Want to Know

When is Crew-13 scheduled to launch?

NASA and SpaceX are targeting 11:10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 1, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Who is on the Crew-13 mission?

NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.

Why was the launch delayed?

NASA postponed the original Sept. 12 launch after detecting an oxidizer leak in the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system during prelaunch processing. The team later replaced an oxidizer valve.

When will Crew-12 come home?

After Crew-13 arrives and completes a short handover. NASA has not announced an undocking or splashdown date, which will also depend on weather off California.

Where will Crew-12 splash down?

Off the coast of California. Mission teams will review weather at the splashdown sites before the crew departs the station.

Can people in Florida see the launch?

Weather permitting, the late-morning launch may be visible from public viewing areas along the Space Coast. Confirm the time through NASA's official channels on launch day.