Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk is taking a special item with him as he will spend six months aboard the ISS as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission. <\/p>\n
COCOA BEACH \u2014 Astronaut Joshua Kutryk is set to blast off for the International Space Station on Thursday as Canada continues a memorable year for space exploration and research.<\/p>\n
The 44-year-old is one of four people assigned to NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew 13 mission, which is scheduled to take off from the Kennedy Space Center for a six-month mission.<\/p>\n
After arriving at the space centre in Florida on Saturday, Kutryk said he\u2019s grateful to be part of an international team that includes NASA\u2019s Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m also excited to do it as a Canadian,\u201d Kutryk told reporters.<\/p>\n
It has been an exciting year for Canadian space exploration, said Mathieu Caron, director of astronauts, life sciences and space medicine at the Canadian Space Agency.<\/p>\n
Canadian Jeremy Hansen was one of four astronauts aboard the Artemis II mission in April \u2014 humanity\u2019s first trip to the moon in more than 50 years. The 10-day lunar fly-around saw Hansen and his crewmates travel farther from the surface of the Earth than anyone before them.<\/p>\n
The Artemis mission thrilled people around the world and many on social media praised the astronauts for bringing joy and hope for the future at a time of geopolitical turmoil.<\/p>\n
Caron said space missions show the value of international co-operation. The space station has had crews from around the world since 2000.<\/p>\n
\u201cEver since that point, we\u2019ve always been in a position where the focus of the partnership, of all international partners, was a successful operation and the safe operation of the of the space station,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you can imagine over 27 years a lot of things have happened and that has never wavered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s robotics systems \u2014 the well-known Canadarm and its followup Dextre \u2014 have been critical to the construction and maintenance of the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
Kutryk\u2019s mission will be quite different from Hansen\u2019s Artemis mission. The moon trip was more like a sprint, with a longer distance but a much shorter duration, Caron said.<\/p>\n
He said the mission astronauts will take care of the space station facility, take part in a large number of experiments and really \u201cget to experience space on a much deeper level because they have to live and work there for many months and find ways to do that effectively.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cLife in space is never boring, so just following what Josh is doing to help (operate) this beautiful world-class laboratory is going to be fascinating,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we\u2019re also excited about all the science he\u2019ll be doing on the space station.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former astronaut Bob Thirsk was the first Canadian astronaut to go on a long-duration expedition to the space station. Thirsk recalled getting up to the station and being so focused on his tasks that another astronaut tapped him on the shoulder to remind him to look out the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis chill went down my spine and I realized the privilege that I had,\u201d he said. \u201cThat I fulfilled a childhood dream as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thirsk said he emailed Kutryk Tuesday to tell him while he has a lot of work to in space, he should also try to enjoy every moment of the launch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be huge swings of G-forces on his on his body like a roller-coaster kind of ride, so that\u2019ll be a lot of fun,\u201d he said. \u201cBut savour every moment of that eight-and-a-half minute adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thirsk said spending a long time in space changes astronauts personally and professionally. <\/p>\n
He said that after spending months looking back at Earth and reflecting on civilization, he returned with a more global perspective on poverty, overpopulation, inequality and environmental damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see a different panorama of countries and topographies every 90 minutes but also a world without borders,\u201d Thirsk said. \u201cTo realize that everything is one and everything is connected on the surface below.\u201d<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2026.<\/p>\n
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
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