NASA is preparing to send four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on February 13, 2026, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The launch window opens at 5:15 a.m. EST (1015 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The lift-off was delayed by two days due to adverse weather, including high winds on the US East Coast.
If the mission proceeds on schedule, Crew-12 will dock with the ISS on Saturday at approximately 3:15 p.m., marking the next chapter in long-term space habitation and research.
Crew-12 Astronauts: Meet the Team
The Crew-12 lineup includes:
Jessica Meir – NASA astronaut and marine biologist, serving as mission commander.
Jack Hathaway – NASA astronaut with extensive spaceflight experience.
Sophie Adenot – French astronaut and second French woman in space, focusing on medical technology experiments.
Andrey Fedyaev – Russian cosmonaut returning to the ISS from his 2023 Crew-6 mission.
The astronauts have been in quarantine ahead of the launch to ensure safety and mission readiness.
Mission Objective: Replacing Crew-11
Crew-12 will relieve Crew-11, which returned to Earth in January after a medical evacuation—the first of its kind in ISS history. Since then, a skeleton crew of three has maintained operations aboard the ISS, which orbits 400 kilometers above Earth.
NASA has not disclosed the nature of the medical issue, citing crew privacy.
Scientific Experiments and Research in Microgravity
During their eight-month stay on the ISS, Crew-12 will conduct vital experiments, including:
Microgravity research to understand its impact on human physiology.
AI-assisted medical ultrasounds, led by Sophie Adenot, to enhance self-care capabilities in space.
Other experiments related to biology, physics, and Earth observation.
These studies will contribute to both scientific knowledge and preparation for future long-duration missions beyond low Earth orbit.
ISS: A Legacy of International Cooperation
The ISS has been continuously inhabited for 25 years and represents one of the last examples of collaboration between the West and Russia in space, even amid geopolitical tensions.
The space station is expected to deorbit and crash into the Pacific Ocean by 2030, making Crew-12 one of the final crews to live aboard this iconic laboratory in orbit.
Inspiring Stories: Adenot and Meir
Sophie Adenot, who watched Claudie Haignere’s Mir mission as a teenager, now becomes the second French woman in space. Jessica Meir, with her background in marine biology, brings expertise in extreme environments to the mission. Their leadership highlights the human story behind space exploration.
