Astronaut on board ISS set to become a parent in Space during 6-month stay

As four astronauts starts their new NASA mission, only one will come back down with the knowledge that he’s a new father.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station began at approximately 11:10 am local time on Thursday, October 1, after the crew departed from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Onboard were astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.

The four are set to be in space for six months,

Kutryk, a former military test pilot, was launching to space for a mission that coincides with a special time for his family.

He is currently an expected dad, for the third time, as his wife Heather is reportedly due to give birth around Thanksgiving time.

“Leaving these three (plus one on the way) is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he wrote on X prior to launch alongside an image of him, his wife and two children.

“But that has always been the nature of exploration. Words from Fridtjof Nansen, describing his departure for the North Pole, resonate in my mind,” he added. “‘Behind me lay all I held dear in life. And what lay before me? Happy child, little do you know what life is - how strangely mingled and how full of change... and now, a farewell to home. It was the darkest hour of the whole journey.’”

In the comments, people were quick to praise him and his family.

One person wrote: “I can’t even imagine! Stay strong! You are about to embark on your childhood dream that many other would dream of! Stay safe. We’ll be thinking of you!”

Another said: “Godspeed! They are going to make so many incredible memories with you over the next few months!”

Someone else commented: “Safe travels! I can't imagine how hard that is, but you'll have a great story to tell them.”

Like the rest of his crew, Kurtyk will be conducting maintenance on the orbiting lab, as well as research stem cells to help researchers understand how to better treat Parkinson’s disease, per Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program.

This mission comes a month lather than planned after it was found that an oxidizer leak had occurred in August.

Then in September, engineers needed to replace a valve in the propulsion system, leading to further delays.

Thankfully, they were able to get onboard this week, as the astronauts made SpaceX's fastest ever trip to the ISS on a Falcon 9 rocket before the Crew Dragon Grace spacecraft begins its orbit.

Right now, according to Space, they’ve arrived and docked, with NASA's Jessica Watkins, the Crew-13 commander, stating during their welcome ceremony.

"It is hard to believe that we're already here, but we are super glad to be here. We are happy to join you guys and get to work as soon as possible."