The four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday afternoon, restoring the orbital lab to its full complement of seven astronauts and cosmonauts.
The crew launched before dawn on Friday morning from Cape Canaveral, Florida, embarking on an eight-month mission focused on scientific research and maintenance of the outpost, according to NASA. The team includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, the mission commander, and Jack Hathaway, the pilot, alongside European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
The arrival of Crew-12 is particularly significant following an unexpected departure from the ISS last month. NASA’s Crew-11 mission returned to Earth a month ahead of schedule in January due to a “serious” but stable health condition affecting one of its crew members – marking the first medical evacuation in the space station’s 26-year history. This left the ISS operating with a reduced crew of three.
“With Crew-12 safely on orbit, America and our international partners once again demonstrated the professionalism, preparation, and teamwork required for human spaceflight,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement.
This is the second trip to the ISS for both Meir and Fedyaev, while Hathaway and Adenot are experiencing spaceflight for the first time. During their extended stay, the crew will be engaged in a variety of scientific experiments designed to prepare for future human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit and to advance techniques for food production in space.
The successful docking follows a nine-minute journey to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which briefly illuminated the pre-dawn sky as it ascended. The crew is expected to begin their work immediately, collaborating with the existing ISS team to continue ongoing research and maintain the station’s vital systems.
NASA is also simultaneously preparing for the Artemis II mission, a 10-day flight that will send four astronauts around the moon. This mission, slated to launch as soon as March, represents the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.
