NASA unveils next crew of astronauts who will fly to space station

TheArtemis II crew members may be back on Earthafter a moon-circling mission, but the next group of astronauts are already getting ready to head tospace.

NASA has unveiled the names of the next four spacefarers, including two Americans, who willhead to Earth orbit. The joint mission with SpaceX, known as Crew-13, will take the astronauts to theInternational Space Stationfor several months.

The mission, targeted for September, would be thefirst spaceflight with astronauts aboardsince NASA launched the trailblazing Artemis II mission April 1, sending a four-person crew on a historic voyage around the moon.

The Artemis II mission launches April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The four-person crew aboard the Orion spacecraft hitched a ride to orbit atop NASA's giant 322-foot Space Launch System rocket. Launching atop 8.8 million pounds of thrust, the SLS is the most powerful rocket NASA ever launched, about 17% more powerful than the iconic Saturn V rocket used during the Apollo era.

Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman of NASA took this stunning photograph of Earth from the Orion spacecraft's window on April 2. The image is reminiscent of the iconic

NASA astronaut Christina Koch, a mission specialist on Artemis II, gazes out the windows of the Orion vehicle back at Earth as she and the crew head toward the moon. Koch, who already holds several NASA records from her first spaceflight in 2019 to the International Space Station, became the first woman to fly on a lunar mission.

Before going to sleep April 5, the Artemis II crew snapped one more photo of the moon, as it drew close in the window of the Orion spacecraft. Shortly after, the astronauts entered the lunar sphere of influence, where the pull of the moon's gravity became stronger than Earth's.

The crew of Artemis II captured a breathtaking image of a celestial event known as an

Of the impact craters, ancient lava flows and other lunar features the Artemis II astronauts observed during an April 6 flyby, a crater known as the Orientale basin was perhaps the most prominent. Spanning nearly 600 miles, the 3.8 billion year old crater (seen in the upper center of this photo) had never been seen with the naked eye prior to the mission.

The Orion spacecraft the Artemis II astronauts were aboard is captured in the same frame as both the moon and Earth in this photo captured about four hours into the historic April 6 flyby.

This image shows the moon fully eclipsing the sun from the vantage of the Orion spacecraft, not unlike what millions of people witnessed in April 2024 from Earth. From the crew’s perspective, the moon appeared large enough to completely block the sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and revealing our star's elusive outermost layer, known as the corona.

The crew members of Artemis II embrace following the historic lunar flyby April 6, during which the astronauts flew farther from Earth than anyone in human history while seeing sights of the moon's far side never seen in person.

The Artemis II crew captured this breathtaking photo of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Spanning more than 100,000 light-years, Earth is located along one of the galaxy’s spiral arms, about halfway from the center.

10 days, 10 photos. Here are the most stunning images from Artemis II

Here's a look at theastronauts selected for Crew-13, as well as what to know about themission to the ISS.

What is the International Space Station?

The International Space Stationhas been stationed in low-Earth orbit for more than 25 years, typically about 260 miles high, where it has beenhome to astronauts from all over the world. Throughout its lifespan,the station has served as a test bedfor scientific research in microgravity and has in years past opened itself up to private commercial missions.

The orbital laboratory isoperated through a global partnershipof space agencies, including NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

More than 290 spacefarers from 26 countries have visited the International Space Station,including 170 from the United Statesalone, according to NASA.

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke inserts a cryogenic storage unit containing research samples into a science freezer for preservation and later analysis on the International Space Station.

This view of Earth was captured from a window on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as it approached the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Jonny Kim practice using a robotic arm on the Destiny laboratory module’s robotics workstation on the International Space Station. Kim used the device in September to capture Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo craft as it arrived at the outpost.

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo craft, carrying over 11,000 pounds of new science and supplies for the Expedition 73 crew, is pictured in the grips of the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm following its capture.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov conducts a spacewalk Oct. 16 outside the International Space Station.

The International Space Station is seen from the Crew 8 SpaceX Dragon during undocking in October 2024.

The International Space Station as seen in Nov. 2021 from astronauts aboard a SpaceX Dragon.

This still from a video captured by NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, a member of Crew-11, from the International Space Station shows auroras above the South Pacific Ocean. Cardman took the footage from a SpaceX Dragon capsule that was docked at the time.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams is pictured Thursday, Jan. 30 during her second spacewalk of the month. In this photo, Williams is attached to the tip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm as the International Space Station orbits 260 miles above Earth.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 members pose together for a portrait inside the vestibule between the International Space Station and the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft. Clockwise from left, are NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Suni Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

International Space Station marks 25 years with humans on board. See photos

NASA, SpaceX plan Crew-13 mission to ISS. When is launch?

The next astronauts to head to space will be part of a joint NASA and SpaceX mission known as Crew-13. Contracted under NASA'sCommercial Crew Program, the mission tasks SpaceX with sending the astronauts to the International Space Station, where they will live and work for several months.

The astronauts will be aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which will hitch a ride to Earth orbit atop the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket during a launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The launch istargeted for mid-September, according to NASA.

Meet the next group of astronauts headed to space

From left to right, NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.

Here's a look at the four astronautsNASA selectedfor the Crew-13 mission:

Jessica Watkins, a NASA astronaut who will serve as commander of the mission. A native of Colorado, Watkins is a geologist who will be making her second trip to space since being selected as an astronaut in 2017.
Luke Delaney, a NASA astronaut who will be the pilot. A native of Florida, Delaney is a naval aviator who will be making his first trip to space since being selected as an astronaut in 2022.
Joshua Kutryk, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut who will be a mission specialist. Kutryk, a fighter pilot from Alberta, Canada, will be the first CSA astronaut selected for NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
Sergey Teteryatnikov, a Roscosmos cosmonaut from Russia who is the second mission specialist. Teteryatnikov is making his first trip to space.

What astronauts are on the International Space Station?

The four crew members representing NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station pose for a portrait at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. From left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, Crew-12 Pilot and Commander respectively, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Mission Specialist Sophie Adenot.

The four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station pose together for a crew portrait in their pressure suits at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. From left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, Pilot and Commander respectively, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Mission Specialist Sophie Adenot.

The four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station pose together for a crew portrait inside a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. From left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot.

From left to right, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 launching to the International Space Station in February.

The four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station pose together for an official crew portrait. From left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, Commander and Pilot respectively, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Mission Specialist Sophie Adenot.

Crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission, from left to right, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev arrive Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew-12 mission is slated to launch to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft atop company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:01 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

Crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission, from left to right, Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, participate in a news conference from Astronaut Crew Quarters inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026.

Pilot Jack Hathaway, a Navy pilot from Connecticut who is making his first spaceflight after he was selected as part of the 2021 NASA astronaut class.

Mission commander Jessica Meir, a marine biologist from Maine who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013 and is making her second trip to the space station.

SpaceX Crew-12 mission to send 4 astronauts to space station. Photos

Seven astronautsare currently living and working aboard the International Space Station.

The Crew-13 astronauts are due to replace theCrew-12 mission at the space station.

Those four astronauts – NASA astronautsJessica MeirandJack Hathaway, as well as the European Space Agency'sSophie Adenotand Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev – docked in mid-February at the orbital outpost and are due to depart a few days after their replacements arrive to allow for ahandover period. In a deviation from standard protocol, that mission'sCrew-11 predecessors had departedbefore the new astronauts' arrival due to an unprecedented medical evacuation.

NASA astronaut Chris Williamsand Russians Sergey Mikaev and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, whoarrived at the end of Novemberon a Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, are also at the orbital laboratory.

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Meet the next 4 astronauts who will go to International Space Station