SpaceX Crew-13 Mission Sets Record for Fastest Docking with ISS
SpaceX’s Crew-13 mission for NASA achieved a remarkable milestone by docking with the International Space Station (ISS) on October 1, 2026, at 7:05 p.m. EDT (2305 GMT). The spacecraft, which launched from Florida’s Space Coast, took just 7 hours and 55 minutes to reach the ISS, setting a new record for American spacecraft.
This new record surpasses the previous one of 12 hours and 33 minutes, set by SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule during its CRS-31 resupply mission in November 2024. Furthermore, astronauts have previously made the journey in 14 hours and 43 minutes, a record held by the Crew-11 mission in August 2025.
Julianna Scheiman, director of NASA science and Dragon programs at SpaceX, mentioned that favorable orbital conditions contributed to this record-setting time. “The space station was in an opportune spot in space… this is close to the fastest it could be,” she added.
Although Crew-13 established a rapid docking record, it still does not surpass the overall speed record to the ISS, which remains with a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that reached the station in just 3 hours and 3 minutes back in May 2020.
Crew Members
The Crew-13 mission delivered four astronauts:
- NASA’s Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney
- Joshua Kutryk from the Canadian Space Agency
- Sergey Teteryatnikov from Russia’s Roscosmos
They will join four astronauts from SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission, who are scheduled to return to Earth shortly after.
Image Credit: SpaceX
