Russian cosmonauts Arutyun Kiviryan and Sergey Teteryatnikov have successfully passed the selection process and were assigned to crews of the Crew Dragon spacecraft for the upcoming Crew-13 mission. The decision was announced by a joint commission of Roscosmos and NASA after a selection process that included about 180 specialists.

Sergey Teteryatnikov has been appointed to the main crew as a mission specialist, while Arutyun Kiviryan, originally from Maykop, will serve in the backup crew. The launch of Crew-13 is planned for the second half of 2026. This will be the thirteenth mission of the Crew Dragon spacecraft as part of the ongoing cooperation between Roscosmos and NASA.

Who is Arutyun Kiviryan

Arutyun Kiviryan was born on August 23, 1993, in Maykop, Republic of Adygea.

He graduated from School No. 33 and Lyceum No. 19 in his hometown. During his studies he attended a physics and mathematics school at Adyghe State University and simultaneously studied violin at a local school of arts.

In 2010, he graduated from the St. Petersburg Suvorov Military School of the Russian Ministry of Defense. In 2015, he received a degree as a rocket engineer from the Baltic State Technical University Voenmeh named after D. F. Ustinov in Saint Petersburg.

From 2015 to 2021, he worked as a test engineer at RSC Energia in Korolyov. On April 1, 2021, he was officially accepted into the Roscosmos cosmonaut corps.

What is known about the Crew-13 mission

Crew-13 will be another rotation mission to the International Space Station. The crew will travel aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft developed by SpaceX and is expected to spend about six months on the ISS.

The participation of Russian cosmonauts in American missions is part of the cross-flight agreement, which allows each side to fly on the other’s spacecraft. This arrangement helps ensure continuous presence on the station even if one partner experiences delays in its own spacecraft programs.

For Arutyun Kiviryan, this marks his first opportunity to be part of a Crew Dragon mission crew, even if currently as a backup. If the primary mission specialist cannot fly for any reason, he would take that seat.

The names of the American astronauts assigned to the mission have not yet been officially announced. NASA and SpaceX typically reveal the full crew closer to launch.

In brief

Cosmonaut Arutyun Kiviryan (born 1993, Maykop, Adygea) has been assigned to the backup crew of the Crew-13 mission aboard Crew Dragon. The main crew includes Sergey Teteryatnikov as mission specialist. The launch is scheduled for the second half of 2026. The mission continues the cooperative program between Roscosmos and NASA. Kiviryan is a rocket engineer who joined the Roscosmos cosmonaut corps in 2021.