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All eyes will be on the weather Thursday morning, as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk prepares to launch to the International Space Station (ISS).
Kutryk, 44, will be a mission specialist for NASA’s Crew-13 mission to the ISS, alongside Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov from Roscosmos. NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins will serve as commander and Luke Delaney will be the pilot. They are heading to space on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
The weather at Cape Canaveral, Fla., is expected to be a little variable, with chances of showers and potential thunderstorms.
Initially, Kutryk was to fly on a Boeing CST-100 Starliner, but after the company suffered major setbacks, he was reassigned to SpaceX.
NASA has also been dealing with a potential issue on the ISS, as first reported by ArsTechnica on Monday.
Canadarm2, which is used to catch some spacecraft and during spacewalks, is able to move around on the ISS like an inchworm, However, after conducting one of these “walk-off” manoeuvres, engineers detected “some communications errors.” In a statement to ArsTechnica, NASA said that they and SpaceX were working to ensure there wouldn’t be any GPS interference between Crew Dragon and the station during docking.
At today’s press conference, Lorie Glaze, NASA’s associate administrator for human spaceflight said, “I was lucky enough earlier today to get to speak with Jessica. Luke, Josh and Sergey. They are ready to fly.”
Dana Weigel, manager, Low Earth Orbit Program, echoed Glaze: “I also talked with the crew this morning when they were in crew quarters. They’re doing great. They’re ready to fly. A lot of smiling faces.”
CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk and the other members of Crew-13 participate in training at SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California, in preparation for their six-month mission to the International Space Station. From left to right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov, NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, NASA astronaut Luke Delaney, and CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk. (Canadian Space Agency, SpaceX)
The mission comes just six months after CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s trip around the moon as part of the Artemis II mission.
Canada has a lot to be proud about, Mathieu Caron, director of CSA’s astronaut office, told CBC News’ Karen Pauls ahead of the press conference.
“I think what people really need to remember is: Why do we have access to that incredible world-class laboratory?… Because Canada contributed the mobile servicing system, which is a complex robotic system that allowed the space station to be built.”
The crew will do a traditional walk-out from their quarantine facility at roughly 7:40 a.m. Thursday.
After that, they will head out to the pad and ascend in the elevator to their Crew Dragon capsule and undergo preparations for launch.
On a personal note, Kutryk’s wife Heather will be giving birth to their third child while he’s in orbit.
“So we’ll look at which labour code applies,” Caron said at the press conference, laughing.
Once they launch, they will catch up with the ISS in a few hours.
“If the launch does go tomorrow as planned, this will be the fastest Dragon mission to station around eight hours or so,” said Weigel.
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If the weather doesn’t co-operate Thursday, the next launch opportunity is Friday morning.
“We always ensure that we fly only when we’re ready,” Glaze said.
And Kutryk is ready.
“He’s so ready,” said Caron of the CSA. “And hopefully the weather will co-operate tomorrow. So … you know, for him, for his family and for the mission at hand, really, we’re [in] very high spirits.”