SpaceX Crew-12 Delivers Four Astronauts to ISS, Restoring Standard Crew Complement
Edited by: Tetiana Martynovska 17
The SpaceX Crew-12 mission successfully launched on Friday, February 13, 2026, achieving a critical objective of restoring routine staffing levels aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 5:15 a.m. EST, following earlier scrubs attributed to high winds along the ascent corridor.
Crew-12, the 13th SpaceX mission to carry astronauts to the ISS, has launched!
This launch was necessary to return the station’s crew complement to the standard complement of seven members. The number had been temporarily reduced to three following the unscheduled, early return of the preceding Crew-11 mission in January 2026. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, named 'Freedom,' transported the four-person international contingent into orbit. The mission profile projects an extended stay of approximately eight to nine months, which surpasses the typical six-month rotation cycle, potentially reflecting current budgetary considerations for the ISS program.
Crew: NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev
The crew composition emphasizes continued international partnership in low-Earth orbit. It includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, designated as Commander, and Jack Hathaway, serving as Pilot. They are joined by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, assigned as Mission Specialist 1, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who holds the role of Mission Specialist 2. This assembly brings varied experience, including Meir’s prior participation in a record-setting all-female spacewalk in 2019 and Fedyaev’s previous assignment on Crew-6 in 2023.
The immediate context for this successful deployment involved the unprecedented medical evacuation of a Crew-11 astronaut in January 2026, which marked the first such event in the ISS’s 26-year operational history and caused the temporary understaffing. Furthermore, the successful execution of Crew-12 occurs while NASA manages delays in other major programs, specifically the postponement of the Artemis II lunar mission until no earlier than March 2026 due to technical issues with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
The operational shift to utilize SLC-40 for crew and cargo operations is intended to reserve Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) for future heavy-lift missions using the Falcon Heavy and the Starship vehicle. The successful ascent and subsequent landing of the Falcon 9 first-stage booster at the newly commissioned Landing Zone 40 (LZ-40) demonstrates the maturation of SpaceX’s launch infrastructure upgrades at the Cape. The successful docking and crew transfer confirm the station’s operational capacity is now fully restored.
12 Views
Sources
European Space Agency (ESA)
SpaceNews
European Space Agency (ESA)
European Space Agency (ESA)
NASA
NASA
European Space Agency (ESA)
European Space Agency (ESA)
Universe Space Tech
SpaceDaily
NASA
SpaceDaily
SpaceDaily
Space.com
CBS News
CBS News
NBC News
CBS News
NASA
The Guardian
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Launches
SpaceX Crew 12 Launches From Florida On Historic Mission - Grand Pinnacle Tribune
ESA - εpsilon - European Space Agency
Epsilon mission - CNES
ESA Astronaut Sophie Adenot Launches Aboard SpaceX Crew-12 Mission
CBS News
NPR News
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Space.com
Teslarati
Wikipedia
NASA
Space.com
European Space Agency (ESA)
Houston Chronicle
Wikipedia
Houston Chronicle
European Space Agency
European Space Agency
Space
SpaceX Crew-12 - Wikipedia
SpaceX Crew-12 mission latest news: Dragon capsule reaches orbit with ISS astronauts
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Launches to International Space Station
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Launches
SpaceX Crew 12 Launches From Florida On Historic Mission - Grand Pinnacle Tribune
SpaceX Crew-12 - Wikipedia
NASA Crew-12 - SpaceX
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Launches
SpaceX Crew 12 Launches From Florida On Historic Mission - Grand Pinnacle Tribune
SpaceX launches space station crew on 8-month mission - CBS News
NASA
SpaceX Crew-12 - Wikipedia
Grand Pinnacle Tribune
NASA
European Space Agency
ESA - εpsilon - European Space Agency
ESA Names Sophie Adenot's First Mission to the ISS - SPACE & DEFENSE
Crew-12 is bringing reinforcements to International Space Station's small crew - Houston Chronicle
SpaceX launches Crew-12 astronauts to short-staffed International Space Station. 'We have left the Earth, but the Earth has not left us.'
France's second woman in space prepares for launch after 30-year wait - Modern Ghana
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Launches
NASA Crew-12 - SpaceX
SpaceX Crew 12 Launches From Florida On Historic Mission
Meet NASA's SpaceX Crew-12
Business Wire
Alipay Official Site
TechCrunch
South China Morning Post
Rokid Official Site
SpaceX Crew-12 - Wikipedia
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Launches
SpaceX launches Crew-12 astronauts to short-staffed International Space Station. 'We have left the Earth, but the Earth has not left us.'
SpaceX launches space station crew on 8-month mission - CBS News
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Launches To International Space Station - Eurasia Review
NASA
Space.com
Space.com
CBS News
Reuters
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Launches To International Space Station
SpaceX Crew-12 - SpaceX
SpaceX Crew-12 - Wikipedia
Crew-12 is bringing reinforcements to International Space Station's small crew - Houston Chronicle
NASA Plans To Deorbit The ISS By 2030, to Transition to Private Space Stations
NASA
Wikipedia
Grand Pinnacle Tribune
Al Jazeera
Spaceflight Now
NASA
CBS News
Space.com
ESA
SpacePolicyOnline.com
SpaceX Crew-12 Launches to International Space Station
NASA delays Artemis II moon mission to March after SLS hydrogen leak - Skies Mag
SpaceX launches four astronauts for Valentine's Day docking with Space Station
ISS astronaut medical evacuation latest news: Crew-11 astronauts safely back on Earth | Space
On their way! 4 people on NASA Crew-12 mission launch to International Space Station
NASA
Kennedy Space Center
Artemis II - Wikipedia
NASA Crew-12 - SpaceX
On their way! 4 people on NASA Crew-12 mission launch to International Space Station
Houston Chronicle
India Today
CBS News
Grand Pinnacle Tribune
Encyclopedia Britannica
The Planetary Society
WLIW-FM
Read more news on this topic:
Did you find an error or inaccuracy?We will consider your comments as soon as possible.