Canadian Space Agency astronaut Josh Kutryk. (Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Josh Kutryk will fly on the upcoming SpaceX Crew-13 mission no earlier than September 2026. Kutryk's International Space Station (ISS) mission was announced on Thursday (April 23), less than two weeks after CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen and three NASA astronauts finished the banner Artemis 2 mission around the moon on April 10.It's a big month not only for Canada's space agency, but also for its military. Hansen and Kutryk are both colonels in the Royal Canadian Air Force, which celebrated its centennial on April 1 — the same day Hansen launched to the moon. Crew-13 also includes NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov."I am honoured to be a part of Crew-13 and represent Canada on this mission," Kutryk said in an agency statement. "To me, space is driven by curiosity, adventure, innovation, and science — but above all, collaboration. Collaboration that creates opportunity, and builds a better future. I'm committed to making the most of this unique opportunity."Kutryk will spend half a year on the ISS as a part of Expeditions 75 and 76, becoming the first CSA astronaut to do so in eight years — after David Saint-Jacques in 2018-19. (Other Canadians have reached the ISS outside of CSA.)CSA normally flies to the ISS about every six years under the international partnership, and that was expected to happen again. Kutryk was at first assigned in 2023 to Starliner-1, for what was then supposed to be a 2024 flight—right on pace.But difficulties with two Starliner uncrewed tests, and a 'Type A mishap' during the astronaut Crew Flight Test in 2024, ensued. All Starliner-1 crew members were eventually reassigned while the program continues to undergo further development, which will include a third uncrewed test at some point. CSA astronaut, Joshua Kutryk, is at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) pool at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston training for spacewalks (also called extravehicular activities, or EVAs). ( Then there are many changes during the mission, due to maintenance needs, cargo-ship launches and departures, and other ISS activities.As such, for now Kutryk's assignment simply includes "several science experiments, including Canadian-led investigations that focus on human health. He will also perform maintenance and operational activities," the CSA stated.Kutryk is a highly experienced military test pilot known for his contributions to, and his instruction for, the CF-18 jet program. He has at least 4,000 flight hours across 40 aircraft types, according to his CSA biography. His time in the cockpit also includes missions on behalf of NATO, NORAD and the United Nations, as well as conflict operations in Libya and Afghanistan. CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk and NASA astronaut Suni Williams in a T-38 supersonic trainer jet. ( Kutryk was fully certified as an astronaut in 2020.Aside from his Starliner work as a member of the flight control team and as a test subject, his ground experience includes capcom for several ISS missions, capcom for Crew Flight Test's ascent, and operations officer for the NASA Astronaut Office. Official portrait of Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk. ( Kutryk's flight, and other ISS flights, come courtesy of Canadarm2 and other robotics on the orbiting complex, at a
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