Canadian astronaut Josh Kutryk finally flying to ISS after Boeing Starliner mishap: 'I'm committed to making the most of this unique opportunity'
(Image credit: CSA)
First Canada flew an astronaut to the moon — and now, it's returning to the space station.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.
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