00:00Hey space fans, I am by the countdown clock here at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida
00:04where four astronauts are getting ready to launch to the International Space Station.
00:07NASA's Crew-13 mission will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped with the Crew Dragon
00:12GRACE.
00:13Liftoff is targeted for 11.10am Thursday morning from Launch Complex 40 just across the river
00:18at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
00:20On board will be NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian astronaut
00:24Josh Kutryk, and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Tetneryotnikov.
00:28This will be Watkins' second trip to space, and she'll be the first NASA astronaut to
00:32launch for a second time aboard a Crew Dragon.
00:35Her crewmates are all spaceflight rookies facing their first mission.
00:38Once they launch, the astronauts will only spend about eight hours aboard Dragon before
00:42docking with the space station.
00:44And if that sounds fast, you're right.
00:46This will be the fastest any Dragon has ever managed to catch up to the ISS for docking
00:50after liftoff.
00:51But weather could be a big question for tomorrow.
00:53Forecasters are giving just a 55% chance of favorable conditions at liftoff.
00:57So right now, it's basically a toss-up.
01:00If they can't get off the ground Thursday, SpaceX does have another opportunity Friday
01:03morning.
01:04But if everything lines up, Crew 13 should be docking with the space station at about
01:077pm tomorrow evening, beginning another long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station.
