Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk launches to International Space Station Thursday

Joshua Kutryk, a Calgary-based Canadian astronaut, launches to the International Space Station on October 3, weather permitting. The 44-year-old will blast off at 11:10 a.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center in Florida as part of NASA SpaceX Crew-13, joining one Russian cosmonaut and two American astronauts for a six-month mission.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly is attending the launch from Cocoa Beach—her first time witnessing a space launch. Speaking Wednesday, Joly framed the mission against current geopolitical tensions. "It's happening at a time where there is this trade war going on, there is geopolitical tensions. I think it's important that we are able to show that we can co-operate as human beings on space exploration," she said.

Kutryk's launch marks another chapter in Canada's three-decade involvement with the ISS. Canada has contributed the Canadarm and Dextre robotic systems to the station. Mathieu Caron, director of astronauts, life sciences and space medicine at the Canadian Space Agency, emphasized the continuity of that commitment. "That commitment was true 27 years ago and it's still true to this day. So I'm happy to report that we're happy to continue to work with our partners," Caron said.

Beyond this mission, Canada is signalling broader ambitions in space. Joly stated the government is looking to diversify space partnerships, reaching out to European and Japanese space industries and other middle-power countries. A new Canadian Space Agency president will be announced in the coming weeks, and a new space strategy is expected in the coming months. The strategy aims to create more opportunities for Canadian astronauts, expand Canada's role in the space sector, and support domestic job creation alongside advancing science and civilian research.