NASA, SpaceX Set Feb. 15 Launch from Cape Canaveral for International Crew-12 Mission to Space Station

Next Space Station Crew Readies for Liftoff from Florida’s Space Coast

BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, FLORIDA — NASA and SpaceX are preparing to send the next international crew of astronauts to the International Space Station as the agency advances plans for the upcoming Crew-12 mission, a critical milestone in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

The launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft is currently scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 15, lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The mission will carry four astronauts on a long-duration science expedition to the orbiting laboratory, continuing the steady rotation of crews aboard the ISS.

The Crew-12 flight will follow the return of the current Crew-11 astronauts, which NASA is targeting no earlier than Thursday, Jan. 15, for a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.

The timing of Crew-12 is coordinated with the return to ensure a smooth handover between crews and uninterrupted operations aboard the station.

An international team is headed to orbit as Crew-12 brings together a diverse, multinational team of spacefarers, including Jessica Meir (NASA) — Commander, Jack Hathaway (NASA) — Pilot, Sophie Adenot (European Space Agency) — Mission Specialist, and Andrey Fedyaev (Roscosmos) — Mission Specialist.

For Meir and Fedyaev, the upcoming mission will mark their second trip to space, building on previous ISS experience. For Hathaway and Adenot, Crew-12 will be their first spaceflight, launching their careers in human space exploration.

Once aboard the ISS, the astronauts will conduct a wide range of scientific experiments, technology demonstrations, and maintenance work, helping researchers on Earth study everything from human health in microgravity to advanced materials and biological processes that can only be observed in space.

Crew-12 represents another chapter in NASA and SpaceX’s partnership, which has restored regular U.S. human spaceflight launches from Florida and strengthened international cooperation aboard the ISS.

As the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft prepare for their next journey skyward, all eyes will once again turn to the Space Coast in February, when four astronauts from three space agencies begin their voyage to the edge of Earth and beyond.

Similar Stories