1 Oct 2026

For over 25 years, people have continuously lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that help prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 crew members are set to join this long legacy, conducting science aboard the orbiting laboratory to advance research for exploration and deliver benefits for all humanity. 

During its mission, Crew-13 will investigate practical questions about how to keep crews healthier, grow food reliably in space, and validate the technologies need for deep‑space missions.

The crew will use the microgravity environment of the space station to produce human stem cell-derived tissues, which can be used to support personalized medicine, disease modeling, and future pharmaceutical screening for conditions like heart disease and Parkinson’s disease. Crew members also study individual factors linked to blood flow abnormalities in space and testing a new inflight diagnostic device to monitor astronaut health. They also will explore crop production for future long duration missions by installing a new, mostly autonomous plant growth facility and growing crops in plant pillows at a location of their choice throughout the space station.

The crew’s science work complements a busy operations tempo aboard the orbiting laboratory that includes station maintenance and planned spacewalks.

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NASA astronaut Luke Delaney (front), along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Stan Love, Project Scientist Natasha Haveman, and Trent Smith, a senior leader of the NASA Kennedy Space Crop Production team, view microgreens at the Plant Processing Area inside the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.