MERRITT ISLAND — As the sun rises over Florida’s iconic Kennedy Space Center on Thursday morning, Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk will be making the final preparations to fulfil his lifelong dream of blasting off into space. If the weather holds, the 44-year-old will be among NASA’s SpaceX Crew 13 launching at 11:10 a.m. ET to the International Space Station for a six-month mission. From the ground, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly will be watching. It will be the first space launch she’s ever attended and Joly said it’s not lost on her that Kutryk will be on board with a Russian and two Americans. “It’s happening at a time where there is this trade war going on, there is geopolitical tensions,” Joly said at nearby Cocoa Beach on Wednesday. “I think it’s important that we are able to show that we can co-operate as human beings on space exploration.” Joly has been on the front lines of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, first as foreign minister and now with her current portfolio that’s in charge of mitigating many of the effects of the tariffs at home. Space exploration remains an area of ongoing co-operation, Joly said, and she is scheduled to meet with NASA administrator Jared Isaacman while in Florida for the launch. She said the International Space Station is a symbol of how countries can and must work together, noting essential Canadian robotics contributions to the facility such as the well-known Canadarm and its followup Dextre. The tensions between Canada and the United States even came up during NASA’s prelaunch news conference on Wednesday. Mathieu Caron, director of astronauts, life sciences and space medicine at the Canadian Space Agency, was asked whether some of the rhetoric directed at Canada was a distraction. Caron responded that in his three-decade-long career working on the International Space Station project, the focus has always been on the safety of the crew and success of the mission. “That commitment was true 27 years ago and it’s still true to this day,” he said. “So I’m happy to report that we’re happy to continue to work with our partners.” That doesn’t mean Canada isn’t looking to diversify its space partnerships, as it has its economy, Joly said. She said NASA is changing its operating model and Canada “has to take stock of that” and reach out to other partners for partnerships and innovation. That means working closer with the European and Japanese space industries, as well as other middle-power countries. “We believe that space is important for Canada and is important for us as an industrial power, as a country that needs that sovereign capability of space launch,” she said, pointing to Spaceport Nova Scotia, a new commercial orbital launch site. Joly said Canada’s defence industrial plan has recognized the importance of the space sector and new funds are also dedicated to the Canadian Space Agency. She said Canada needs to embrace the industrial part of space investment to create domestic jobs while also doubling down on the importance of science and civilian research. A new Canadian Space Agency president will be announced in the coming weeks, Joly said. A new space strategy will be unveiled in the coming months, which will promote Canada’s goals of creating opportunities, playing a larger role in the sector and sending more astronauts off Earth, she added. For now, Joly said she’s very excited to see Kutryk launch to space. She said he’s a great representation of Canada: humble, intelligent and dedicated to the mission. At the NASA news conference, Caron said Canadian Space Agency members had spoken with Kutryk earlier Wednesday and the astronaut was in high spirits and ready for the launch. While on the deployment, Kutryk will be taking part in some long-term Canadian research projects but he will also be essential to documenting new science around how the human body responds to space travel. Kutryk will also be dealing with a unique situation during his months-long deployment off of Earth — his wife is set to give birth to the family’s third child. Caron said the Canadian Space Agency and NASA are working together to provide Kutryk with support and to ensure some video calls with his growing family while in space. “These are exciting times,” Caron said with a beaming smile. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2026. Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
