Joshua Kutryk

Last updated

Joshua Kutryk
CD
Josh Kutryk official portrait.jpg
Kutryk in 2017
Born (1982-03-21) March 21, 1982 (age 44)
Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada
Education
Awards Canadian Forces' Decoration (2012) [1]
Space career
CSA astronaut
Time in space36 days, 9 hours, 25 minutes
(currently in space)
Selection 2017 CSA Group
NASA Group 22 (2017)
Total  EVAs 2
Total EVA time14 hours, 10 minutes
Mission SpaceX Crew-13 (Expedition 75/76)
Mission insignia
 SpaceX Crew-13 logo.png ISS Expedition 75 Patch.png ISS Expedition 76 Patch.png
Military career
AllegianceCanada
Branch
 Royal Canadian Air Force
Service years
2007–present
Rank
 Colonel
Conflicts
 War in Afghanistan

Joshua Kutryk CD (born March 21, 1982) is a Canadian astronaut, test pilot, fighter pilot and engineer. He was selected by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) as one of the two members of the 2017 CSA Astronaut Group, along with Jenni Gibbons. They both graduated from NASA's astronaut training program in 2020 and were assigned flights in 2023. Kutryk was originally set to fly on the first operational commercial flight of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner. Because of continued issues and delays with that spacecraft, NASA arranged for him to be a member of the SpaceX Crew-13 mission. It launched and docked to the International Space Station (ISS) on October 1, 2026. He is now part of the Expedition 75/76 crew on the ISS. Kutryk will likely be the last Canadian astronaut to fly a long-duration mission aboard the ISS as it will be decommissioned around 2030.

Contents

Early life and education

Joshua Kutryk was born on March 21, 1982, [1] in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. [2] His family moved frequently, living in Fort Saskatchewan, Elk Point and Whitehorse before his father retired from a career in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, at which time the family moved to a cattle farm near Beauvallon, Alberta. [3] He attended St. John XXIII Catholic School. [4] His family emigrated to Canada from Ukraine in 1910. [5]

He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. [1] He subsequently completed a master's degree in space studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2009, a master's degree in flight test engineering at the Air University in 2012, and a master's degree in defence studies at the Royal Military College of Canada in 2014. [1]

As a test-pilot trainee, Kutryk became a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. In 2012, he received the Liethen-Title Award for the top test pilot graduate from that school. This award was also conferred to his fellow astronaut Chris Hadfield in 1988. [1]

RCAF Career

Kutryk served in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as a CF-188 pilot based in Bagotville, Quebec from 2007 to 2011. During that time, the RCAF deployed him on combat missions to both Libya and Afghanistan. [6]

Prior to joining the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Kutryk was an experimental test pilot for the (RCAF) in Cold Lake, Alberta. [7] At the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment, based in Cold Lake, he led the unit responsible for flight-testing of fighter aircraft in Canada. Kutryk was most notably responsible for the testing of new aircraft technologies on the CF-188 fighter jet. [1] He has accumulated over 4000 hours of flying experience across more than 40 types of aircraft. [7] He holds the RCAF rank of lieutenant colonel. [8]

Astronaut career

CSA selection and training

Kutryk had previously applied to become an astronaut in the 2009 CSA selection, where astronauts David Saint-Jacques and Jeremy Hansen were selected. Kutryk was shortlisted to undergo a year-long testing program and ultimately found himself in the top 16 finalists of some 5,350 candidates. His perseverance in successfully applying again in 2017 is highlighted on the CSA website. [1]

During the fourth Canadian astronaut recruitment campaign the Canadian Space Agency selected him to undergo astronaut training as part of the 2017 CSA Group. He and Dr. Jenni Sidey were selected from an initial pool of 3,772 candidates. [9]

In July 2017, Kutryk relocated to Houston, Texas to start the two-year NASA Astronaut Candidate Training Program at the Johnson Space Center. He is a member of the 2017 NASA astronaut class. Both he and Dr. Sidey graduated from that program in January 2020. [10]

In September 2019, Kutryk participated as a cavenaut in training organized by the European Space Agency with Italy and Slovenia. [11] [12] [13]

Starliner-1 crew member

Canada announced its first Commercial Crew mission on November 22, 2023, and Kutryk was on it. The six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS) planned to use a Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft to get them there and return to Earth. [14] The Boeing Starliner-1 mission was originally intended to be that spacecraft's first operational crewed mission to the ISS. However, the 2024 Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) encountered what NASA later described as a Type A mishap. [15] That is NASA's most severe mishap category, which means a crew could have been lost, and almost was. [16] With the Starliner program grounded until at least late 2026, NASA decided to switch the Starliner-1 mission from a crew to a cargo one in November 2025. [17] This also left its crew in limbo on whether they would fly on Starliner or be reassigned to a SpaceX Crew Dragon mission. [18]

SpaceX Crew-13

(May 5, 2026) -- NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins (left) assists CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk (background) and NASA astronaut Luke Delaney (right) as they practice suiting up in spacesuits in an International Space Station airlock simulator at Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Space Vehicle Mockup Facility in Houston, Texas. Astronauts familiarize themselves with spacesuit systems and procedures and practice Quest Joint Airlock operations before conducting spacewalk training at JSC's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in simulated microgravity. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel Astronaut Jessica Watkins assists astronauts Josh Kutryk and Luke Delaney as they practice suiting up in spacesuits (jsc2026e037773).jpg
(May 5, 2026) — NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins (left) assists CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk (background) and NASA astronaut Luke Delaney (right) as they practice suiting up in spacesuits in an International Space Station airlock simulator at Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Space Vehicle Mockup Facility in Houston, Texas. Astronauts familiarize themselves with spacesuit systems and procedures and practice Quest Joint Airlock operations before conducting spacewalk training at JSC’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in simulated microgravity. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

On April 23, 2026, NASA announced that Kutryk will fly to the ISS aboard the SpaceX Crew-13 mission, launching no earlier than September 2026. [19] [20] The mission's September launch date was delayed a few weeks due to a thruster issue with the Crew Dragon. [7] The mission was expected to launch no earlier than October 1, 2026 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40). [21] NASA plans for the Crew-13 astronauts to stay for six months on the ISS, and they will carry out Canadian sponsored science experiments as part of the station's Expedition 75/76 missions. [22] [23] Kutryk could be the last Canadian to make an extended stay on the ISS as current plans are for the station to be de-orbited sometime after 2030. [22]

Launch

Crew-13 went into quarantine at the Johnson Space Center on September 17, 2026 about two weeks before the launch. [24] The crew flew to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on September 26 with Kutryk piloting one of the two T-38 jet aircraft used to transport the astronauts. His passenger was the mission commander Jessica Watkins. [25] The crew remained in quarantine until a few hours before the launch at the Astronaut Crew Quarters inside the Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. [26]

Launch arrived on October 1, 2026, with the astronauts leaving the Operations and Checkout Building for Space Launch Complex 40. The SpaceX Crew Dragon Grace departed the pad at 11:10 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time (15:10 UTC), an on time launch. [27] The Dragon spacecraft docked with the ISS seven hours and fifty-five minutes after launch, a record for a NASA crewed spacecraft going to the station. [28]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 CSA Staff (April 23, 2026). "Biography of Joshua Kutryk". Canadian Space Agency . Montreal: Government of Canada. Archived from the original on August 20, 2026. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  2. ↑ Bonnell, James (August 18, 2026). "Fort Saskatchewan astronaut prepares for six months aboard the ISS". Fort Saskatchewan Record . Postmedia. Archived from the original on September 27, 2026. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  3. ↑ Romero, Diego (July 8, 2017). "From an Alberta farm to space: the journey of Joshua Kutryk". CTV News . Edmonton: Bell Media. Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  4. ↑ Zdebiak, Brandon (March 20, 2023). "Fort Saskatchewan astronaut might be first Canadian on the Moon". FortSask Online. Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta: Golden West Broadcasting. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  5. ↑ Zakydalsky, Orest (July 27, 2017). "UCC Congratulates Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Kutryk on his selection as a Canadian Astronaut". Ukrainian Canadian Congress . Ottawa. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  6. ↑ Malone, Kelly Geraldine; Morris, Erika (September 25, 2026). "Canadian astronaut ready for NASA mission to International Space Station". The Canadian Press . Toronto. Archived from the original on September 25, 2026. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Mortillaro, Nicole (September 25, 2026). "Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk is heading to the ISS next week". CBC News . Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on September 25, 2026. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  8. ↑ Semeniuk, Ivan (July 2, 2017). "Meet Jennifer Sidey and Joshua Kutryk, Canada's newest astronauts". The Globe and Mail . Toronto: The Woodbridge Company. ISSN   0319-0714. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  9. ↑ CP Staff (July 1, 2017). "Canada's 2 newest astronauts named during Parliament Hill festivities". CBC News. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  10. ↑ SpaceRef Staff (January 13, 2020). "NASA's New Astronauts Ready for Space Station, Moon, and Mars Missions". SpaceNews . Alexandria, Virginia: Pocket Ventures, LLC. ISSN   1046-6940 . Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Meet the cavenauts – Joshua Kutryk – Caves & pangaea blog" . Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Science beneath the surface – Caves & pangaea blog" . Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  13. ↑ Sauro, Francesco; De Waele, Jo; Payler, Samuel J.; Vattano, Marco; Sauro, Francesco Maria; Turchi, Leonardo; Bessone, Loredana (July 1, 2021). "Speleology as an analogue to space exploration: The ESA CAVES training programme". Acta Astronautica. 184: 150–166. Bibcode:2021AcAau.184..150S. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.04.003. hdl: 11585/819077 . ISSN   0094-5765. S2CID   234819922.
  14. ↑ Mortillaro, Nicole (November 22, 2023). "Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk to head to the International Space Station". CBC News. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on November 26, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  15. ↑ Roulette, Joey (February 19, 2026). "NASA chief slams Boeing, agency's failures in botched Starliner astronaut mission". Reuters . London: Thomson Reuters . Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  16. ↑ Berger, Eric (February 19, 2026). "NASA chief classifies Starliner flight as "Type A" mishap, says agency made mistakes". Ars Technica . New York: Condé Nast. Archived from the original on February 19, 2026. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  17. ↑ Foust, Jeff (November 24, 2025). "NASA to fly only cargo on next Starliner mission under modified contract". SpaceNews. Alexandria, Virginia: Pocket Ventures, LLC. ISSN   1046-6940 . Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  18. ↑ Robinson-Smith, Will (November 25, 2025). "NASA, Boeing pivot Starliner-1 mission from 4-person astronaut flight to cargo-only". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on February 19, 2026. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  19. ↑ Morrison, Catherine (April 23, 2026). "Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk joins NASA's SpaceX Mission". Toronto Star . Torstar. The Canadian Press. ISSN   0319-0781. Archived from the original on April 25, 2026. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  20. ↑ Pearlman, Robert (April 27, 2026). "With new patch design, the Crew-13 astronauts clearly aren't superstitious". Ars Technica. New York: Condé Nast. Archived from the original on April 27, 2026. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  21. ↑ Robinson-Smith, Will (August 15, 2026). "Falcon 9 – NASA's SpaceX Crew-13". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on September 26, 2026. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  22. 1 2 Morris, Erika (August 3, 2026). "Canadian astronaut prepares for NASA mission to International Space Station". Toronto Star. Torstar. The Canadian Press. ISSN   0319-0781. Archived from the original on September 27, 2026. Retrieved September 27, 2026– via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ Costa, Jason (September 17, 2026). "NASA, SpaceX Continue Crew-13 Prep as Crew Enters Quarantine". Commercial Crew Program . Washington, D.C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Archived from the original on September 18, 2026. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  24. ↑ Garcia, Mark A. (September 25, 2026). "Station Gets Ready for SpaceX Crew Swap During Health Research". International Space Station . Washington, D.C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Archived from the original on September 28, 2026. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  25. ↑ Robinson-Smith, Will (September 26, 2026). "Next crew bound for the space station arrive in Florida". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on September 26, 2026. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  26. ↑ Costa, Jason (September 26, 2026). "NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 On Way to Kennedy". Commercial Crew Program. Washington, D.C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Archived from the original on September 27, 2026. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  27. ↑ Harwood, William (October 1, 2026). "Fresh crew takes off for six-month stay aboard space station". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on October 1, 2026. Retrieved October 2, 2026.
  28. ↑ Petz, Sarah (October 1, 2026). "Crew-13 astronauts, including Canada's Joshua Kutryk, board the ISS after trip from Earth". CBC News. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on October 4, 2026. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
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