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59m ago

SpaceX Launches NASA’s Crew-12 to ISS, Docking Targeted for Saturday

The four-person flight restores the station’s normal staffing for an extended research mission.

From left, cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, European Space Agency pilot Jack Hathaway, NASA commander Jessica Meir, and NASA astronaut Sophie Adenot prepare for launch to the International Space Station.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft stands at Launch Complex 40 as preparations continue for the launch of NASA’s Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., February 12, 2026. REUTERS/Steve Nesius
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Overview

  • A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 5:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 13, placing Crew Dragon into orbit, and the first stage landed at a nearby SpaceX landing zone.
  • The crew comprises NASA’s Jessica Meir (commander) and Jack Hathaway (pilot), ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
  • Autonomous docking to the Harmony module is scheduled for about 3:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 14, following roughly 34 hours of rendezvous operations.
  • The mission ends a month of reduced staffing after Crew-11’s early, medically driven return, returning the ISS to its usual seven-person complement without an in-orbit handover.
  • Certified for a longer on-orbit stay, Crew-12 will spend about eight months conducting research that includes pneumonia-related studies, on-demand IV fluid generation, plant monitoring, and cardiovascular and ultrasound investigations.