Jessica Watkins becomes first black female commander to lead a crew to orbit after record eight-hour ISS dash
From the Newshound archive · first published 1 October 2026 · last updated 3 October 2026.
The International Space Station, where NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins has become the first black woman to command a crewed spaceflight after SpaceX's Dragon capsule completed the journey in a record seven hours and 55…Jessica Watkins, whose journey to the ISS as its first black female commander followed a career studying Mars geology on NASA's Curiosity rover.The International Space Station, where Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk will miss the birth of his third child, due around Thanksgiving, making him only the fourth parent in history to have a child born while in space.A social-media post confirming docking, as NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised what he called "an absolutely great start to Crew 13" ahead of the team's six-month science mission.
SpaceX commander Jessica Watkins, a 38-year-old geologist, made history by becoming the first black woman to lead a crew to orbit as the Crew-13 mission completed the fastest-ever US flight to the International Space Station. The Dragon capsule 'Grace' docked just seven hours and 55 minutes after lifting off from Cape Canaveral on Thursday, beating any previous American journey, including NASA missions. The record was made possible by the ISS being in an ideal orbital position at the time of launch. Watkins and crewmates Luke Delaney, Sergey Teteryatnikov, and Joshua Kutryk will spend six months aboard the station.
Kutryk, a Royal Canadian Air Force colonel, will become a father during the mission — his wife is due to give birth while he is away.
The launch had been delayed three weeks after a fuel-system leak was discovered aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule.
Crew-13's mission patch pays homage to Apollo 13, and the crew rode to the launchpad in black Teslas bearing 'Lucky 13' number plates.
