From DeBary to space: Florida-born NASA astronaut ready for launch to ISS

NASA astronaut Luke Delaney, a Florida native, is preparing to pilot SpaceX Crew-13 to the International Space Station. The launch is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, at 11:10 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a Falcon 9 rocket. Delaney—born in Miami, raised in DeBary in Volusia County, and a University of North Florida graduate—returned to East Florida Saturday, stepping onto the former shuttle landing strip at Kennedy Space Center after arriving on a NASA T-38N Talon. Crew-13 will join Expedition 75 for a multi-month science mission. The crew includes NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. After entering quarantine Sept. 17 at Johnson Space Center, the Dragon is expected to dock with the ISS around 8 p.m. Thursday. Coverage begins about two hours before liftoff.