Luke Delaney, a Brevard County native and retired U.S. Air Force officer, has been named as a pilot for NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station. The selection was announced as part of NASA's 2021 astronaut class, which included 14 new crew members from across the country. Delaney, who grew up in Titusville, brings over a decade of military experience to the mission, having served as a fighter pilot and test engineer.
The Crew-13 mission is expected to launch later this year from Kennedy Space Center, marking the latest in a series of commercial crew flights to the space station. Delaney will join three other astronauts on the mission, which will focus on scientific research and maintenance work aboard the orbiting laboratory. His role as a pilot will involve operating the spacecraft and assisting with docking procedures.
Delaney's path to becoming an astronaut began with his work as a systems engineer at SpaceX, where he contributed to the development of the Crew Dragon spacecraft. He joined NASA's astronaut program in 2020 after passing rigorous physical and technical evaluations. His selection has been celebrated locally, with officials in Brevard County highlighting his contributions to the region's growing space industry.
The mission is part of NASA's partnership with SpaceX under the Commercial Crew Program, which aims to restore U.S. capability to transport astronauts to the space station. Crew-13 will be the sixth crewed flight to the station under the program, following successful missions in 2020 and 2021. Delaney's flight will be his first space mission, though he has trained extensively for the role over the past two years.