Canadian Astronaut Heads to Space Station After 8-Year Gap

After years of preparation and an unexpected detour, Canadian astronaut Josh Kutryk is finally getting his ticket to space.

The Canadian Space Agency announced Thursday that Kutryk will fly to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's Crew-13 mission in September 2026. He'll become the first Canadian astronaut to spend six months on the orbital laboratory since David Saint-Jacques completed his mission in 2019.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after fellow Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen returned from the historic Artemis 2 moon mission on April 10. Both men are colonels in the Royal Canadian Air Force, which just celebrated its 100th anniversary on April 1, the same day Hansen launched.

Kutryk's path to this moment wasn't straightforward. He was originally assigned to Boeing's Starliner-1 mission in 2023, scheduled for a 2024 flight. But technical difficulties and safety issues forced Boeing to conduct additional testing and reassign all crew members.

Rather than let the setback derail his dreams, Kutryk stayed ready. The highly experienced test pilot has logged more than 4,000 flight hours across 40 different aircraft types. His military service includes missions for NATO, NORAD, and the United Nations, plus conflict operations in Libya and Afghanistan.

Kutryk first applied to become an astronaut in 2008, making it to the final four candidates before being passed over. He tried again in 2017 and finally got the call. He completed his astronaut certification in 2020 and has been supporting space operations ever since, including serving as capcom for several ISS missions.

During his six-month stay on the space station, Kutryk will conduct science experiments focused on human health and perform maintenance and operational tasks. He'll join NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, plus Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov on Crew-13.

Why This Inspires

Kutryk's journey shows the power of patience and persistence in pursuing extraordinary goals. He waited nearly a decade between his first astronaut application and his selection, then navigated unexpected mission changes without losing focus.

His words capture why space exploration continues to unite people across borders. "To me, space is driven by curiosity, adventure, innovation, and science, but above all, collaboration," Kutryk said. "Collaboration that creates opportunity and builds a better future."

Canada earns its ISS crew slots through robotics contributions, including the famous Canadarm2 that helps capture cargo ships and supports spacewalks. The country typically flies one astronaut to the station every six years under international partnership agreements.

One Canadian astronaut will reach the stars this fall, reminding us that some dreams are worth the wait.