UPDATE — OCTOBER 2 — Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk has reached the International Space Station after launching from Florida Thursday as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew 13 mission, The Canadian Press reports.

This updates TNC’s October 1 pre-launch report. The launch and station arrival have now occurred.

Six months aboard the station

The 44-year-old mission specialist joins NASA commander Jessica Watkins, pilot Luke Delaney and Roscosmos mission specialist Sergey Teteryatnikov.

The crew will spend six months conducting research, experiments and maintenance. NASA said the flight to the station took just under eight hours; docking procedures followed before the crew entered.

A milestone for Canada

Kutryk welcomed Canada’s renewed presence aboard the station during the crew’s arrival ceremony. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly attended the launch and highlighted international co-operation in space.

This is Kutryk’s first spaceflight. His wife is expecting their third child during his deployment.

Source: The Canadian Press, first published October 1 at 10:22 p.m..

Supporting image: AI-generated editorial illustration; not a photograph of the launch or arrival.