From Beauvallon To Space: Joshua Kutryk Begins Journey To International Space Station

From the wide-open skies above a cattle farm near Beauvallon to the vastness of space, Joshua Kutryk has spent much of his life working toward a dream that became reality on October 1.

Kutryk, who grew up in the Beauvallon area and has deep ties to communities including Myrnam and Two Hills, lifted off aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 11:10 a.m. EDT.

The Canadian Space Agency astronaut joined NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins (USA) and Luke Delaney (USA) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for the journey to the International Space Station.

Shortly after reaching orbit, Kutryk admitted the reality of finally being in space had not quite sunk in.

“Everyone tells me I’m in space. I don’t really believe it yet. Does feel weird though,” Kutryk said before thanking SpaceX for the ride.

It was a remarkably down-to-earth reaction from a man who has dreamed of going to space since childhood.

Kutryk was born in Fort Saskatchewan but was raised on his family’s cattle farm near Beauvallon, where the Prairie sky helped foster an early fascination with flight and space.

His connections throughout the local area run deep.

Kutryk attended Two Hills High School from Grades 9 through 12, graduating as valedictorian in 2000. During his teenage years, he was involved with the 4-H Beef Club in Myrnam, played hockey in Mannville and participated in Air Cadets in Mundare.

Through Air Cadets, Kutryk earned both his glider and private pilot licenses while still a teenager, taking the first steps toward a career that would eventually lead him from rural Alberta to fighter jets, experimental aircraft and, ultimately, space.

After graduating from high school, Kutryk attended the Royal Military College of Canada, graduating in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with First Class Distinction. He later earned master’s degrees in space studies, flight test engineering and defence studies.

His career with the Royal Canadian Air Force included flying CF-18 fighter jets with 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron and later working as an experimental test pilot at 4 Wing Cold Lake. He has accumulated more than 4,000 hours of flying time in more than 40 different types of aircraft.

But throughout that career, the childhood dream of space remained.

Kutryk first applied to become a Canadian astronaut in 2009 and advanced through the selection process but was not chosen. He continued building his education and experience and tried again when the Canadian Space Agency launched another astronaut recruitment campaign in 2016.

This time, from a field of 3,772 applicants, Kutryk and Jenni Gibbons were selected to join Canada’s astronaut corps in 2017.

Kutryk subsequently underwent astronaut training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, completing the program in 2020. His work since then has included serving as a capsule communicator, or CAPCOM, in Mission Control and working on the development and testing of commercial crew spacecraft.

His October 1 launch marks Kutryk’s first journey into space and another milestone for Canada’s space program. He is the first Canadian Space Agency astronaut to fly as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and will become the fourth CSA astronaut to participate in a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station.

Kutryk is expected to spend approximately six months aboard the orbiting laboratory as part of Expedition 75, conducting scientific experiments, testing new technologies and contributing to research aimed at benefiting both future space exploration and life on Earth.

Before leaving for the mission, Kutryk reflected on just how long he had waited for this moment.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed of going to space,” he said in a video shared ahead of the launch.

Kutryk said it was with “great pride and humility” that he would represent Canada during the mission and acknowledged the many people and organizations who helped make the journey possible, including his family and friends, the Canadian Space Agency and the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Those thoughts were still very much with him once he reached space.

Speaking from the Dragon spacecraft shortly after launch, Kutryk thanked his colleagues, friends and family, NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and the Royal Canadian Air Force for everything they had done to help get him there.

He described the flight as “the start of what will hopefully be a long, safe and impactful mission.”

Kutryk then had a more personal message for those waiting back on Earth.

“To my family, Heather, Peter, Nana, I miss you!” he said.

And then, with the dream of reaching space finally accomplished, the former Beauvallon-area farm kid turned his attention to the job ahead.

“It is time for Crew-13 to go to work.”