Luke Delaney is preparing to take the biggest leap of his career, trading the test-pilot cockpit for a seat aboard a spacecraft. He is set to make his first journey into space as the pilot of SpaceX’s Crew 13 mission to the International Space Station on 1st October.
Delaney is part of the four-person Crew-13 team that plans to spend approximately six months living and working aboard the ISS. The crew includes NASA commander Jessica Watkins, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.
Also read | Alternative rock: Inside the global race to mine asteroids
Who is Luke Delaney?
Delaney has never commanded a space station mission before, but aviation has been at the heart of his career for years. Born in Florida and raised in DeBary, he graduated from Deltona High School in 1997 before pursuing mechanical engineering at the University of Florida. He later went on to earn a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.
He spent years in the US military and served as a Marine Corps naval aviator, participating in exercises across Asia-Pacific region and flying combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He later took up the role of a test pilot instructor, evaluating aircraft and weapon-system integrations.
Delaney eventually found his way to NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, where flying became a tool for scientific discovery. As a research pilot, he took part in airborne missions examining everything from the atmosphere and ocean dynamics to air-traffic systems and other aspects of Earth science.
Delaney completed his astronaut training after being selected in NASA’s 2021 astronaut candidate class and was assigned as Pilot for Crew-13. His aviation background gives him an upper hand as he prepares to operate the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft alongside Watkins.
Also Read | NASA spots ‘once-in-a-century’ crater on Moon’s surface after massive asteroid crash
The upcoming mission marks the moment years of flying, testing and training finally give way to his first view of Earth from orbit. Crew-13 will spend its time aboard the ISS pursuing scientific investigations, testing new technologies and tending to the countless tasks that keep the station functioning. The work may unfold hundreds of kilometres above Earth, but its purpose reaches further into NASA’s plans for the future of human exploration.
Until then, the crew remains grounded. Delaney and his fellow astronauts are currently in quarantine at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, with their sights set on Kennedy Space Center ahead of the October 1st launch. The final days will be devoted to readiness checks across the mission and the space station awaiting their arrival.