SpaceX’s Crew-13 launched toward the International Space Station on October 1, 2026, and Space.com’s October 5 photo feature presents the liftoff as a black-and-white infrared image. Its stark rendering brings the rocket’s exhaust and heat into focus; the published description does not identify the photographer or explain how the image was captured.
What does the infrared image show?
The image featured by Space.com on October 5, 2026 depicts the Crew-13 liftoff in black and white, using an infrared appearance that makes the launch’s heat and exhaust visually prominent. That is a visual description, not a measurement: the feature does not provide a temperature reading or technical imaging data.
The article text does not name the photographer, camera, sensor, lens, infrared wavelength band, filter, capture method, processing workflow, or camera settings. The image’s appearance alone cannot establish any of those details.
When and where did Crew-13 launch?
NASA lists liftoff at 11:10 a.m. EDT on October 1, 2026, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft rode a Falcon 9 toward the International Space Station.
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NASA describes Crew-13 as the 13th crew-rotation mission of SpaceX’s human space transportation system and the 14th flight with NASA astronauts to the station when the Demo-2 test flight is included. Those counts are NASA’s mission designations, not a count of all spacecraft visits to the ISS.
Who was aboard, and what was the mission?
The four-person crew was NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins, commander, and Luke Delaney, pilot; Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. Their destination was the ISS, where they were to join station operations and conduct research.
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In its October 1 launch release, NASA described planned work that included producing human stem-cell-derived tissues for personalized medicine, disease modeling, and pharmaceutical testing; plant-growth experiments; research into blood-flow abnormalities in microgravity; and use of a new inflight diagnostic device. These are activities NASA said were planned for the expedition at launch.
What happened after liftoff?
SpaceX’s mission account describes Dragon activating in orbit, conducting phasing burns, approaching the station, and docking autonomously. NASA said the planned launch-to-docking journey would take approximately 7 hours and 50 minutes. Its October 1 release called that interval a record for the fastest U.S. spacecraft trip to the ISS; that is NASA’s characterization of the mission’s planned timing.
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SpaceX also described recovery of Falcon 9’s first stage at Landing Zone 40. The image feature focuses on the launch itself, rather than documenting every stage of the flight.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What can—and can’t—be confirmed about the photograph?
NASA’s Crew-13 gallery includes official mission imagery, including October 1 pictures captioned as Dragon approaching the ISS. The available gallery entries do not establish that those photographs are the infrared launch image featured by Space.com, so they should not be used to attribute that image.
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The firm identification is limited to the feature’s description: a black-and-white infrared view of Crew-13’s October 1 launch. No specific camera or imaging technique is established in the published text.
Quick Recap
Sources
- NASA Crew-13 mission page — mission designation, crew, and launch information.
- NASA’s October 1, 2026 launch release — launch timing, planned research, and NASA’s flight-time statement.
- SpaceX Crew-13 mission page — flight sequence and booster recovery description.
- NASA Crew-13 gallery — official mission images and captions.
- Space.com’s October 5, 2026 photo feature — image description.
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