{"id":23589,"date":"2026-02-12T19:01:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T11:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/crew-12-arrives-at-the-iss\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T19:01:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T11:01:34","slug":"crew-12-arrives-at-the-iss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/crew-12-arrives-at-the-iss\/","title":{"rendered":"Crew-12 arrives at the ISS"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX and NASA launched the 12th operational crew rotation mission to the International Space Station under the Commercial Crew Program, Crew-12. Launching atop a Falcon 9 from Florida, Crew-12 is carried four new NASA, ESA, and Roscosmos crew members to the orbiting laboratory for an eight-month mission as part of Expedition 74\/75.<\/p>\n<p>Liftoff occurred at 5:15 AM EST (10:15 UTC) on Friday, Feb. 13, from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Following stage separation, the first stage booster returned to the Cape and landed at the brand new Landing Zone 40, a new landing zone located directly adjacent to the launch pad. Docking occurred on Saturday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>After separating from the Falcon 9 second stage, Crew Dragon&nbsp;<em>Freedom<\/em> and its four-person crew orbited Earth for approximately 34 hours before ultimately docking to the International Space Station (ISS) at around 3:15 PM EST (20:15 UTC) on Friday, Feb. 14.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Crew-12 to the ISS\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nzeLlHnnhS8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid0\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Crew-12\u2019s crew and mission<\/p>\n<p>Crew-12 comprises an international four-person crew, featuring astronauts from NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) and a cosmonaut from Russia\u2019s Roscosmos.<\/p>\n<p>The mission\u2019s commander is NASA astronaut Jessica Meir. Born in Caribou, Maine, she attended Brown University for biology, ultimately earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology in 1999. She would later earn a Master of Science in space studies from the International Space University and a doctorate in marine biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2009.<\/p>\n<p>Spaceflight news subscription<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Space tourism guides<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>NASA mission updates<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>\n<p>     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n<p>Her research focused on the diving physiology of marine mammals and birds, particularly the oxygen depletion in diving emperor penguins and elephant seals. After receiving her doctorate, she worked as an Assistant Professor at the Harvard Medical School\/Massachusetts General Hospital.<\/p>\n<p>From 2000 to 2003, Meir served as an experiment support scientist for Lockheed Martin\u2019s Human Research Facility at the Johnson Space Center. There, she supported human physiology research for Space Shuttle and ISS missions, and participated in the fourth underwater NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) mission.<\/p>\n<p>In 2009, Meir was selected as a semi-finalist for NASA Astronaut Group 20, but was not selected as a finalist. Four years later, in 2013, she was selected as one of eight astronaut candidates for NASA Astronaut Group 21, nicknamed \u201cThe 8 Balls.\u201d Meir completed her training in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>After participating in the ESA Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills (CAVES) mission in 2016, Meir was assigned to Expedition 61\/62 on the ISS, launching aboard Soyuz MS-15 in September 2019. She would spend 204 days on the orbiting laboratory, during which she participated in the first all-female spacewalk with fellow NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch.&nbsp;Crew-12 will serve as Meir\u2019s second flight to space.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-112038\" class=\"wp-image-112038 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128709_17526db497_o-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2048\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128709_17526db497_o-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128709_17526db497_o-350x280.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128709_17526db497_o-438x350.jpg 438w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128709_17526db497_o-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128709_17526db497_o-1920x1536.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128709_17526db497_o-1170x936.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-112038\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The official Crew-12 mission portrait and patch. From left to right: Andrey Fedyaev, Jack Hathaway, Jessica Meir, and Sophie Adenot. (Credit: NASA)<\/p>\n<p>Serving as Crew-12\u2019s pilot is NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway. Born in South Windsor, Connecticut, he attended the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 2004 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in physics and history. He subsequently joined the Navy and was assigned to Naval Air Station in Lemoore, California, after being designated a naval aviator in 2006. Hathaway would go on to support Operation Enduring Freedom and other Western Pacific military events as part of Strike Fighter Squadron 14.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"widget-title penci-border-arrow\">See Also<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Crew-12 Updates<\/li>\n<li>ISS Forum Section<\/li>\n<li>NSF Store<\/li>\n<li>Click here to Join L2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hathaway later earned two master\u2019s degrees: one in flight dynamics from Cranfield University in 2014, and another in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College. Meanwhile, he was designated a developmental test pilot and focused on the F\/A-18 fighter jet.<\/p>\n<p>After graduating with his second master\u2019s degree, he was deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve aboard the USS Truman. In 2019, he would be assigned to the J-6 department of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, where he focused on tactical datalink policy and acquisition efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Hathaway was selected as an astronaut candidate in December 2021 as part of NASA Astronaut Group 23, nicknamed \u201cThe Flies.\u201d At the time of his astronaut candidate selection, Hathaway was deployed aboard the USS Truman as a Prospective Executive Officer for Strike Fighter Squadron 81. In total, Hathaway has accumulated 2,500 flight hours in 30 different aircraft and completed 39 combat missions. Hathaway completed astronaut training in March 2024 and was later assigned to Crew-12, which will serve as his first flight to space.<\/p>\n<p>Crew-12 will feature two mission specialists. The first is ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot. Born in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, France, Adenot attended the Institut Sup\u00e9rieur de l\u2019A\u00e9ronautique et de l\u2019Espace, where she studied flight dynamics and earned an engineering degree in 2004. Later that year, she earned a master\u2019s degree in human factors engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research studied how the vestibular system adapts to artificial gravity, informing the design and development of centrifuges for astronaut training.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-112037\" class=\"wp-image-112037 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55062369529_cb68484a76_o-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55062369529_cb68484a76_o-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55062369529_cb68484a76_o-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55062369529_cb68484a76_o-525x350.jpg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55062369529_cb68484a76_o-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55062369529_cb68484a76_o-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55062369529_cb68484a76_o-1170x780.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55062369529_cb68484a76_o-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55062369529_cb68484a76_o-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-112037\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crew-12 commander Jessica Meir and pilot Jack Hathaway during training. (Credit: SpaceX)<\/p>\n<p>After working as an engineer at Airbus Helicopters, Adenot joined the French Air Force in 2005, where she piloted helicopters on search-and-rescue missions. She would later transfer to the High Authority Transport Squadron, where she transported French government figures and visiting foreign leaders. In 2018, Adenot graduated from the Empire Test Pilots\u2019 School as a helicopter test pilot and worked at Cazaux Air Base until 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Adenot was selected as an astronaut candidate in November 2022 as part of the 2022 ESA Astronaut Group, nicknamed \u201cThe Hoppers.\u201d At the time of her selection, she had accumulated over 3,000 flight hours in 22 different helicopters. She completed her training in April 2024 and joined the European Astronaut Corps. Adenot was assigned to Crew-12 in 2024, and she will be the first member of her class to complete a long-duration ISS mission. Crew-12 will serve as Adenot\u2019s first flight to space, and her ESA mission name is \u201c\u03b5psilon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The final crew member and second mission specialist on Crew-12 is Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Born in modern-day Serov, Russia, Fedyaev graduated from the Balashov Military Aviation School with an engineering degree in 2004, focusing on air transport and air traffic control. Fedyaev then joined the Russian Air Force, where he served in the 317th mixed aviation segment. After logging over 500 flight hours, Fedyaev retired from the Russian Air Force in 2013, following his selection as a cosmonaut.<\/p>\n<p>Roscosmos selected Fedyaev as a cosmonaut in 2012, and he completed his training in June 2014. In July 2022, Fedyaev was assigned to Expedition 68\/69, and launched to the ISS aboard Crew-6 on March 2, 2023, becoming the second Russian cosmonaut to fly on Crew Dragon. He spent nearly 186 days on the Station, and supported several Russian spacewalks in addition to conducting regular experiments. Crew-12 will serve as Fedyaev\u2019s second flight to space.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-112036\" class=\"wp-image-112036 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55065874801_4d8cd938a1_o-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55065874801_4d8cd938a1_o-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55065874801_4d8cd938a1_o-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55065874801_4d8cd938a1_o-525x350.jpg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55065874801_4d8cd938a1_o-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55065874801_4d8cd938a1_o-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55065874801_4d8cd938a1_o-1170x780.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55065874801_4d8cd938a1_o-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55065874801_4d8cd938a1_o-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-112036\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The crew of Crew-12 pose for a photo while training for flight. (Credit: SpaceX)<\/p>\n<p>Fedyaev was not initially assigned to Crew-12 or Expedition 74\/75. Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, a veteran of three missions to the ISS, was originally scheduled to fly on Crew-12 as a mission specialist. However, in December 2025, Artemyev was suddenly removed from the crew and replaced with Fedyaev. Roscosmos stated the removal was due to a \u201ctransition to another job,\u201d but later reports suggested Artemyev violated International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) by photographing ITAR-protected information on SpaceX technologies, prompting his removal from the mission. With the crew swap occurring around three months before Crew-12\u2019s scheduled launch, Fedyaev was selected as Artemyev\u2019s replacement due to his past experience flying on Crew Dragon, reducing his training time.<\/p>\n<p>Crew-12 also faced the possibility of an increased launch timeline due to the early return of Crew-11 on Jan. 15 due to an undisclosed medical issue. Following the announcement of Crew-11\u2019s early departure, NASA announced they were \u201cworking with SpaceX, and its international partners, to review the options available to advance launch opportunities for the Crew-12 mission.\u201d Ultimately, the mission\u2019s original launch date of Feb. 15 was advanced by just three days to Feb. 12. The Feb. 12 launch date was moved to Feb. 13 due to poor launch weather along Crew-12\u2019s ascent trajectory.<\/p>\n<p>Once settled into life aboard the Station, the four crew members will begin conducting research, science experiments, and Station maintenance procedures. Some of the research and scientific experiments include studies of pneumonia-inducing bacteria, on-demand intravenous fluid generation, automated plant health monitoring, and interactions between plants and nitrogen-fixing microbes. The crew will also conduct investigations into human health, such as how physical characteristics can affect blood flow in microgravity. When not conducting research, the crew will perform maintenance on the 27-year-old ISS, sometimes through spacewalks.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 750px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=haygenwarren&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2019973738242990426&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2026%2F02%2Fcrew-12-launch%2F&amp;sessionId=bc4d7a0c27e672710b963f3dac01bd40c89c8270&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"2019973738242990426\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, the crew will see the arrival and departure of several spacecraft. In July, the Soyuz MS-29 mission will dock with the ISS, bringing Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, along with NASA astronaut Anil Menon, to the orbiting laboratory. Soon after, the Soyuz MS-28 mission will depart and return to Earth with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev and NASA astronaut Christopher Williams. The Soyuz MS-28 crew is currently onboard the ISS and will welcome Crew-12 aboard the orbiting laboratory following their docking. Several uncrewed cargo spacecraft will also launch to the Station during Crew-12\u2019s stay, including a SpaceX Cargo Dragon, Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL, and Roscosmos Progress.<\/p>\n<p>Crew-12\u2019s vehicles and spacecraft<\/p>\n<p>Under its Commercial Crew Program (CCP) contract, SpaceX supplies both the crewed spacecraft and launch vehicle for crewed missions to the ISS. Crew-12 will serve as the 14th human spaceflight mission under the CCP, the 12th operational ISS mission, and the 20th overall crewed mission for SpaceX and Crew Dragon.<\/p>\n<p>The Crew-12 crew rode into orbit aboard Crew Dragon C212 <em>Freedom<\/em>. Crew-12 serve as <em>Freedom<\/em>\u2018s fifth flight to space and the ISS following a 503-day turnaround from its most recent mission, Crew-9, in September 2024.&nbsp;<em>Freedom<\/em> has previously supported the Crew-9, Axiom Mission 3, Axiom Mission 2, and Crew-4 missions \u2014 all of which flew to the ISS.<\/p>\n<p>As is tradition with Dragon capsules, the first crew to fly in them names the capsule. <em>Freedom<\/em> was named by Crew-4, which flew to the ISS in April 2022. NASA astronaut and Crew-4 commander Kjell Lindgren explained that the crew chose the name to celebrate \u201ca fundamental human right\u201d and to honor Freedom 7, the first crewed spaceflight by the United States, which carried astronaut Alan Shepard to space in May 1961.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-111925\" class=\"size-full wp-image-111925\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Crew-12-Dragon-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Crew-12-Dragon-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Crew-12-Dragon-350x233.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Crew-12-Dragon-525x350.jpeg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Crew-12-Dragon-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Crew-12-Dragon-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Crew-12-Dragon-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Crew-12-Dragon-585x390.jpeg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Crew-12-Dragon-263x175.jpeg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-111925\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crew Dragon Freedom arrives at SLC-40 for Crew-12. (Credit: SpaceX)<\/p>\n<p>There are four other active Crew Dragon capsules: C206&nbsp;<em>Endeavour<\/em>, C207&nbsp;<em>Resilience<\/em>, C210&nbsp;<em>Endurance<\/em>, and C213&nbsp;<em>Grace.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>SpaceX\u2019s partially reusable workhorse, the Falcon 9, will launch Crew-12 to the ISS. Falcon 9 currently flies in its Block 5 configuration and has completed 599 missions since its debut in June 2010. Crew-12 will mark Falcon 9\u2019s 600th mission and 17th of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Falcon 9 is a two-stage medium-lift launch vehicle, standing 69.8 m tall and 3.7 m in diameter. The first stage booster, which is capable of landing on either a concrete landing pad or downrange droneship at sea, features nine Merlin engines that produce 7,600 kN of thrust at liftoff. To enable recovery, the first stage also features four landing legs and four titanium gridfins. The second stage utilizes a single, vacuum-optimized Merlin engine that produces 934 kN of thrust. Both Falcon 9 stages use highly-refined kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants.<\/p>\n<p>Serving as the first stage booster for Crew-12 is B1101, the youngest active booster in the Falcon fleet. Crew-12 will mark B1101\u2019s second flight after it previously supported the Starlink Group 6-88 mission in January. This mission will also mark the booster\u2019s first attempt to land at a Landing Zone, as Starlink Group 6-88 used one of SpaceX\u2019s droneships for recovery.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-112040\" class=\"size-full wp-image-112040\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAv6LSeWwAI6kIi-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAv6LSeWwAI6kIi-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAv6LSeWwAI6kIi-350x233.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAv6LSeWwAI6kIi-525x350.jpeg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAv6LSeWwAI6kIi-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAv6LSeWwAI6kIi-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAv6LSeWwAI6kIi-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAv6LSeWwAI6kIi-585x390.jpeg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAv6LSeWwAI6kIi-263x175.jpeg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-112040\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman flies over SLC-40 and the brand new LZ-40 with Crew-12 on the pad. (Credit: NASA)<\/p>\n<p>Crew-12 launch and docking timeline<\/p>\n<p>Crew-12 launched on Friday, Feb. 13, at 5:15 AM EST (10:15 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission marked the second crewed mission to fly from SLC-40 after Crew-9 flew from the pad in September 2024. All other Crew Dragon missions have flown from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center. With the removal of the crew access arm at LC-39A, SpaceX intends to launch all future crewed missions from SLC-40.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"End of an Era: SpaceX Removes Crew Access Arm from Historic LC-39A\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IV2H7eZ5-Mc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid1\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Falcon 9 and&nbsp;<em>Freedom<\/em> rolled out to SLC-40 on Feb. 8 and completed a static fire test that evening. The Crew-12 crew arrived in Florida for launch on Feb. 6, and entered quarantine soon after. NASA and SpaceX teams successfully completed a dry dress rehearsal of all&nbsp;launch-day activities on Feb. 9, with the crew practicing suiting up and boarding&nbsp;<em>Freedom<\/em> , and launch teams working through the launch countdown.<\/p>\n<p>On launch day, the countdown began several miles from SLC-40 at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building (O&amp;C). There, the crew suited up and walked out to the media, after which they were transported to SLC-40 via a convoy of Teslas. Once at the pad, the crew and their supporting closeout crew members scaled the launch tower and walked across the crew access arm to access <em>Freedom<\/em>\u2018s hatch.<\/p>\n<p>The crew will then enter&nbsp;<em>Freedom one by one<\/em>, with crew ingress completed by T-2:35:00 hours. Hatch closure came 40 minutes later at T-1:55:00 hours, with leak checks following soon after. Once the hatch is confirmed to be closed safely, the closeout crew will prepare the white room for launch and depart the pad.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-112044\" class=\"size-full wp-image-112044\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128654_1772bc22f9_o-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1592\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128654_1772bc22f9_o-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128654_1772bc22f9_o-350x218.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128654_1772bc22f9_o-563x350.jpg 563w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128654_1772bc22f9_o-768x477.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128654_1772bc22f9_o-1920x1194.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/55066128654_1772bc22f9_o-1170x727.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-112044\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crew-12 sit in their seating positions within Dragon. (Credit: SpaceX)<\/p>\n<p>Falcon 9 loads propellants late in its launch countdown due to SpaceX\u2019s use of super-chilled cryogenic propellants. Teams fuel the rocket later in the countdown to ensure these cryogenic propellants don\u2019t boil away during prelaunch activities.<\/p>\n<p>At T-35:00 minutes, RP-1 begins flowing into Falcon 9\u2019s first and second stages. LOX also begins loading onto Falcon 9\u2019s first stage at T-35:00 minutes. At T-16:00 minutes, LOX loading begins on the second stage.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-112041\" class=\"size-full wp-image-112041\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubW_bXQAAnuOZ-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubW_bXQAAnuOZ-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubW_bXQAAnuOZ-350x233.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubW_bXQAAnuOZ-525x350.jpeg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubW_bXQAAnuOZ-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubW_bXQAAnuOZ-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubW_bXQAAnuOZ-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubW_bXQAAnuOZ-585x390.jpeg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubW_bXQAAnuOZ-263x175.jpeg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-112041\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crew Dragon Freedom and Falcon 9 stand atop SLC-40 for the launch of Crew-12. (Credit: SpaceX)<\/p>\n<p>While RP-1 and LOX are loaded onto Falcon 9, first stage engine chill occurred at T-07:00 minutes. During engine chill, small amounts of cryogenic propellants flow through the first-stage engines, ensuring the nine first stage engines aren\u2019t subjected to intense thermal shock during ignition.<\/p>\n<p>At T0, Falcon 9 and Crew-12 lifted off from SLC-40, beginning their journey to orbit.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-112042\" class=\"size-full wp-image-112042\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubXA7WoAAZIHo-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1596\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubXA7WoAAZIHo-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubXA7WoAAZIHo-350x218.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubXA7WoAAZIHo-561x350.jpeg 561w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubXA7WoAAZIHo-768x479.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubXA7WoAAZIHo-1920x1197.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HAubXA7WoAAZIHo-1170x730.jpeg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-112042\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crew Dragon Freedom at SLC-40. (Credit: SpaceX)<\/p>\n<p>The second stage ignited at T+02:35 minutes. As the second stage propels <em>Freedom<\/em> and Crew-12 to orbit, B1101 began its return to Earth. Seconds after stage separation, B1101 performed a near 180-degree flip to orient itself for its boostback burn and ignited its engines at T+02:41 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>B1101 ignited its engines a final time for the landing burn and touchdown at Landing Zone 40 (LZ-40) at T+07:42 minutes. B1101\u2019s landing marked the first landing at LZ-40, which is located within the SLC-40 grounds to enable faster recovery operations when boosters perform return-to-launch-site landings.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the second stage continued flying to orbit, ultimately culminating in second stage engine cutoff (SECO) at T+08:47 minutes. After checking orbital insertion and vehicle health, <em>Freedom<\/em>&nbsp;separated from the second stage at T+09:37 minutes, beginning its journey to rendezvous and dock with the ISS.<\/p>\n<p>Immediately following separation,&nbsp;<em>Freedom <\/em>performed initial orbit activation and checkouts of critical vehicle systems. Over the next 34 hours, Dragon conducted several phasing burns to raise its orbit and \u201ccatch up\u201d to the ISS.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-112045\" class=\"size-full wp-image-112045\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/54040302739_56175aed3c_o-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/54040302739_56175aed3c_o-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/54040302739_56175aed3c_o-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/54040302739_56175aed3c_o-525x350.jpg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/54040302739_56175aed3c_o-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/54040302739_56175aed3c_o-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/54040302739_56175aed3c_o-1170x780.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/54040302739_56175aed3c_o-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/54040302739_56175aed3c_o-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-112045\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crew Dragon Freedom approaches the ISS for docking during the Crew-9 mission. (Credit: NASA)<\/p>\n<p>On Friday,&nbsp;as it approached the ISS\u2019s keep-out sphere, <em>Freedom<\/em> established communication with the orbiting laboratory and performed one final phasing burn. The capsule then maneuvered around the ISS until it arrived at its docking axis, after which Crew Dragon\u2019s autonomous docking approach navigation was activated.<\/p>\n<p><em>Freedom<\/em> then performed its final approach to the Station, ultimately docking with the <em>Harmony<\/em> module\u2019s zenith docking port at around 3:15 PM EST (20:15 UTC) on Friday, Feb. 14.<\/p>\n<p>Following docking, the ISS and Crew-12 crews will pressurize the docking vestibule and open the hatch, allowing Crew-12 to ingress into the ISS and begin their eight-month mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX and NASA launched the 12th operational crew rotation mission to the International Space Station under the Commercial Crew Program, Crew-12. Launching atop a Falcon 9 from Florida, Crew-12 is carried four new NASA, ESA, and Roscosmos crew members to the orbiting laboratory for an eight-month mission as part of Expedition 74\/75. Liftoff occurred at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[385,235,828,1395,7895,6512,7835,479,4106,717,233,747,7837,190,675,316],"class_list":["post-23589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-crew","tag-crew-dragon","tag-crew-12","tag-dragon","tag-dragon-freedom","tag-expedition-74","tag-expedition-75","tag-falcon-9","tag-freedom","tag-international-space-station","tag-iss","tag-landing-zone-40","tag-lz-40","tag-nasa","tag-slc-40","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23589"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23589\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}