Crew-12 astronauts prepare for ISS mission at Kennedy Space Center

2026-02-13 - 12:45

The four-member Crew-12 mission team has entered final preparations at Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of their launch to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot were seen departing the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building en route to Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. Eight-Month Science Agenda Once aboard the orbiting laboratory, the crew will conduct approximately eight months of scientific research, technology demonstrations, and routine station maintenance. The mission continues international collaboration in space exploration, bringing together astronauts from the United States, Russia, and Europe under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. SpaceX Falcon 9 to Carry Crew The astronauts will travel to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft propelled by a Falcon 9 rocket. Crew-12 represents the latest operational flight under NASA's partnership with SpaceX to maintain continuous U.S. human presence in low Earth orbit.