Joshua Katrick, who grew up on a cattle farm in eastern Alberta, says he dreamed of going into space even though he never thought it would happen.
But just months after Artemis II’s lunar flyby, the 44-year-old is preparing for a mission to the International Space Station that could lead to medical breakthroughs.
Kutrik is one of four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew 13 mission.
He will join NASA employees Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Teteryatnikov. Watkins will return to the space station for the second time.
The crew will spend six months at the station to conduct experiments and repair work.
The crewed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is expected to take off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 12.
“There’s something really unique and special about being Canadian,” Kutryk said. “There’s something special about Canada’s space program and how much we do with it.”
The mission includes Canadian-led research into how space travel and microgravity may affect human health.
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Much of the Canadian-funded science could have practical applications for future space exploration, Kutrik said. But he added that some of this research could advance medicine on Earth.
The experiments could help develop treatments for heart disease and osteoporosis, he said, as radiation and microgravity affect cardiovascular health and bone density.
Conducting medical research in space could be effective because the body ages faster in such an environment, he added during a press briefing.
“They are using the space environment and my body as a model to study the problems that ultimately face all people here on Earth,” Kutryk said.
Mathieu Caron, director of the Canadian Space Agency’s astronaut office, says space life sciences “have become a niche for Canada.”
The crew will also conduct maintenance work on the station, including a Canadian-made maintenance system nicknamed Canadarm 2. Kutrik will bring his robotics expertise on board, Caron said.
Kutrik is the fourth Canadian to take part in a long-duration mission to the International Space Station.
Montreal space educator Trevor Hjorlen says that with NASA planning to decommission the station in 2030, Kutrik could be the last Canadian living on the station.
“I think over the next six months after it launches, this is a great opportunity for a lot of Canadians to see (the station) because it will probably be the last time they see it with a Canadian on board,” he said.
But Kutrik hopes that both the recent Artemis II mission and the upcoming Crew 13 mission will be a source of inspiration for young Canadians in technical fields. He says Canada, along with NASA, has been at the forefront of space exploration, participating in both missions.
“I hope that when young people look at this, they will understand that we are at a truly defining moment,” he said.
“The future of spaceflight for Canada is very, very bright, if you put your mind to it. There will be many opportunities for future Canadian astronauts, engineers, scientists, more than I had when I was growing up.”
After spending years preparing physically and mentally for the mission, Kutrik and his team say they are ready to take off in just a few weeks.
5 things you need to know about Kutrik
1. Kutrik dreamed of going into space when he was growing up on a cattle farm in eastern Alberta, which he described as “a far cry from being here on this mission.”
2. Kutrik served as a CF-18 fighter pilot in Bagotville, Quebec, from 2007 to 2011 and was also deployed to Libya and Afghanistan. He then worked as a test pilot in Cold Lake, Alta., until 2015. He says that as a pilot and astronaut, he enjoys managing systems in high-risk, high-consequence environments.
3. Kutrik’s wife is currently pregnant with their third child and is expected to give birth while he is on the International Space Station. The Canadian Space Agency says teams have already been set up to support the family.
4. He is only the fourth Canadian to fly a long-duration mission on the International Space Station. David Saint-Jacques, the last Canadian to live on the space station, returned to Earth in 2019 after a 204-day mission.
5. Kutrik will be the first Canadian Space Agency astronaut to take part in NASA’s commercial crew program, which is run in partnership with US private companies such as Boeing and SpaceX.
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