SpaceX Crew-13 Launches With Tesla Tradition and 'Lucky 13' Plates

SpaceX launched NASA’s Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station on Thursday morning, carrying four astronauts aboard the Dragon Grace capsule. The launch proceeded despite thunderstorm forecasts that threatened to delay the flight to Friday.

What Happened

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:10 a.m. ET. The crew, which included NASA commander Jessica Watkins, NASA pilot Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov, traveled to the launch pad in Teslas. This practice has been a standard part of NASA’s SpaceX crew flights since 2020. For this mission, the vehicles featured specialty plates reading “Lucky 13.” The launch occurred more than two weeks later than originally planned due to an oxidizer leak found in Grace’s propulsion system in August, which required additional testing time. Docking at the forward port of the Harmony module is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, with hatch opening planned for 8:25 p.m. ET.

Why It Matters

The mission marks a significant speed achievement for the commercial crew program, with the transit to the ISS taking approximately 7 hours and 50 minutes. Most Dragon flights typically require 15 to 24 hours to reach the station, making this potential record-setting run a notable operational milestone. The delay in this launch pushed back the return of the previous crew, Crew-12, who have been aboard the station since February and are now set to splash down off Southern California next week. This mission also reinforces SpaceX's position in the market, as the company holds NASA orders for crew rotations through Crew-17, while Boeing prepares an uncrewed Starliner flight as early as December. Watkins noted that the mission patch intentionally leans into the number 13 as a tribute to the resilience of the Apollo 13 crew.

The Bottom Line

Crew-13 successfully reached orbit and is expected to remain aboard the ISS for about six months, continuing the established tradition of astronauts riding Teslas to the pad while marking a new chapter in the commercial crew rotation schedule.