SpaceX launches the crew led by Jessica Watkins to the International Space Station after a three-week delay

SpaceX launched the crew led by NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins to the International Space Station after a delay of approximately three weeks caused by a leak in the capsule’s fuel system. The launch took place in the morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and the crew was expected to reach the orbital laboratory in approximately eight hours.

The mission will last around six months. On this occasion, Jessica Watkins became the first Black woman to command a crew in orbit. A trained geologist, she previously worked with NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover and also spent an extended period aboard the International Space Station in 2022.

The crew also includes Luke Delaney, a NASA astronaut and former Marine, Joshua Kutryk, a colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and Sergey Teteryatnikov of Russia, a former submariner. The four will replace the astronauts who have been aboard since February.

The mission is SpaceX’s 13th crewed launch for NASA, not including the 2020 test flight. The crew is designated Crew-13, in tribute to Apollo 13, the mission that ended with the astronauts’ safe return.