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Canadian Joshua Kutryk is in space, on his way to the International Space Station (ISS) after a flawless launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off at 11:10 a.m., right on time.
He and his crewmates – NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov – should dock with the ISS after about eight hours in space.
The start is Kutryk’s first, and he felt it.
“I’m in space. I still can’t really believe it. It feels weird, though,” he said. “It’s good to be here.”
“I still can’t believe it,” says Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk as he enters space. Crew-13 is on its way to the International Space Station (ISS) in a joint NASA-Space X mission. Kutryk joins NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov, who make up the rest of the crew aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The team will join some astronauts already at the ISS to conduct some experiments, some of which will be Canadian. The journey from the spacecraft to the ISS takes about eight hours.
This is a historic moment for Canada. It is the first time that two Canadians have launched into space in such a short time. Jeremy Hansen launched as part of NASA’s Artemis II mission for a trip around the moon six months ago.
Minister of Industry Melanie Joy was on the NASA press page shortly after launch and noted the important role that Canada has played and can play in space.
“It’s been a big year, a big year for Canada,” she said.
“And now we look forward to seeing how Josh Kutryk’s work will obviously contribute to international efforts on space exploration and space cooperation, but also to inspire so many young Canadians and elders who are very fascinated by space.”
Canada’s continued role
Undoubtedly, there have been tensions between Canada and the United States, but not when it comes to space.
Although it is true that NASA canceled the Lunar Gateway, which would have included the Canadarm3, it was not because of a political strain between our two countries. Rather, it was a shift in mission priorities brought by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman.
Earlier this year, Isaacman announced that NASA would add a mission to the Artemis program that would return humans to the lunar surface by 2028.
Here’s the launch of Crew-13 from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on its way to the International Space Station. On board is Canadian space agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk who is a member of NASA SpaceX Crew-13. The team will conduct several experiments with astronauts already on the ISS, some of whom will be Canadian. The crew is expected to live and work at the station for about six months.
Asked by the CBC at the post-launch news conference about Canada’s collaboration with NASA and its future plans, Isaacman hinted that Canada could play a vital role in the future of a lunar base.
“Canada has tremendous expertise in robotics, clearly, as demonstrated by Canadarm’s performance of the shuttle to the ISS,” he said.
“As the base becomes operational, it should be almost the last choice to send someone out there in that very challenging and dangerous environment. And you’re going to need extensive robotic capabilities … and we’re targeting it as part of the architecture.”
It’s not just robotics that Canada is looking to contribute, but also lunar rovers.
In December 2025, the CSA awarded four Canadian organizations with contracts totaling $3.2 million for the development of a lunar rover that will be used for science, transportation and more to support astronauts on the lunar surface. (Unfortunately, in March, the CSA announced the cancellation of another, smaller rover that would have performed scientific missions on the Moon.)
Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk, NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov are on their way to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule for a six-month mission of scientific research, station maintenance and operations.
“We want to play a bigger role in everything related to space exploration, but especially the moon,” Joly said on Thursday. “Can have more of a Canadian presence, especially on the robotics side.”
Part of Isaacman’s Artemis program restructuring included accelerating launches in the Artemis program.
On Thursday, Joly said Canada is ready.
“We know NASA wants to go faster,” she said. “We want to do more of it.”
