Astronaut Jessica Watkins makes history yet again.

In 2017, Watkins, who holds a doctorate in geology from the University of California, Los Angeles, became a NASA astronaut after starting her career as an intern there, according to her bio. She made history in 2022 when she boarded the SpaceX Dragon alongside astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Samantha Cristoforetti for a 15-hour trip to the International Space Station (ISS). She became the first Black woman to embark on an extended mission to the ISS and join its crew, as AFROTECH™  previously reported.

She has now added a second mission to the International Space Station to her resume, as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission. The mission launched Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to a press release. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Dragon spacecraft carrying Watkins and Luke Delaney of NASA, Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency, and Sergey Teteryatnikov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos).

According to The Guardian, Watkins led the crew into orbit and became the first Black woman to do so.

 

The astronauts arrived at the International Space Station seven hours and 55 minutes later, marking the fastest trip by a U.S. spacecraft, The Guardian reported. They will replace the SpaceX Crew-12 team, which is expected to return Wednesday, Oct. 7, according to NASA.

“We are so excited to be here. This is truly a special place,” Watkins said on the NASA livestream, according to The Guardian. “It’s amazing and kind of ironic to think that it’s such a short trip to get here because the journey to get here has been long.”

The SpaceX Crew-13 astronauts will conduct science experiments and perform maintenance on the station, NASA reports. NASA will oversee space station operations from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, according to the previously mentioned press release.

“Crew-13 is another demonstration of America’s unmatched capability in human spaceflight and the strength of our commercial partnerships,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman commented in the release. “Jessica, Luke, Joshua, and Sergey will carry forward important work aboard the International Space Station while helping us build the experience and capabilities needed for ambitious missions to the Moon and beyond. Congratulations to the crew and the NASA and SpaceX teams who made today’s launch possible.”