Ottawa: Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk has been assigned to SpaceX Crew-13, marking his first spaceflight to the International Space Station later this year.
Kutryk is scheduled to launch no earlier than mid-September 2026 from Florida alongside NASA astronauts. Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov, reported a news release from the Canadian Space Agency.
The mission will make Kutryk the eighth Canadian to travel to the ISS and the fourth to participate in a long-duration mission.
He will also become the first Canadian astronaut to fly under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
During his stay, Kutryk is expected to conduct a range of scientific experiments, including health-focused research, while supporting station maintenance and operations.
The ISS continues to serve as a key platform for testing technologies and studying the effects of space on the human body, as global space agencies prepare for future lunar missions.
Kutryk, who joined the CSA in 2017 and completed astronaut training in 2020, previously supported mission operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
His assignment to Crew-13 follows a reassignment after the Starliner-1 mission was converted into an uncrewed flight.
The Canadian space sector contributed an estimated $3.4 billion to the country’s GDP in 2023 and supports more than 26,000 jobs, underscoring its growing economic and technological significance.