Canadian astronaut prepares for NASA mission to International Space Station

A few months after Artemis II’s lunar flyby, another Canadian astronaut is preparing for a mission in space that could lead to medical breakthroughs.

Joshua Kutryck from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., is one of four members assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew 13 mission.

He will join NASA’s Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.

The crew will spend six months at the International Space Station to conduct experiments and maintenance work.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the crew is expected to take off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, on Sept. 12.

The mission includes Canadian-led studies on how space travel and microgravity can affect human health.

According to Kutryck, much of the Canadian-sponsored science could have practical applications for future space exploration. But he added some of those studies will be able to advance medicine on Earth.

The experiments could help develop treatments for heart disease or osteoporosis as radiation and microgravity affect cardiovascular health and bone density, he explained.

“They’re using the space environment and my body as the sample case to study problems that all humans eventually encounter here on Earth,” said Kutryck. “You can do medical studies in science in space that we can do in a very efficient way, because we have aging happening in fast forward.”

Mathieu Caron, director of the astronauts’ office at the Canadian Space Agency, says space life sciences “has become a niche for Canada.”

The crew will also conduct maintenance work on the station, including the Canadian-made servicing system, nicknamed Canadarm 2. Kutryck will bring his expertise in robotics on board, said Caron.

Kutryck is the fourth Canadian to take part in a long-duration mission to the International Space Station.

Montreal-based space educator Trevor Kjorlen says that with NASA planning to decommission the station in 2030, Kutryck may be the last Canadian to live on the station.

“I think it’s a prime opportunity over the next six months after he launches for many Canadians to be able to see (the station), because it’ll probably be the last time they see it with a Canadian on board,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2026.