N° 6–2026: Media programme for Crew-12 launch with Sophie Adenot
12 February 2026
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, together with her crewmates NASA astronaut and Mission Commander Jessica Meir, NASA astronaut and pilot Jack Hathaway, and Roscosmos cosmonaut and mission specialist Andrey Fedyaev will depart for the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than Friday 13 February at 10:15 GMT/11:15 CET (05:15 EST).
The crew will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA. They will travel to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, propelled into orbit by a Falcon 9 rocket.
Their mission marks the 12th crew rotation flight under NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme and is planned to last approximately nine months.
Journalists can find below a list of opportunities to follow the launch remotely or in person:
Watch the event remotely on https://watch.esa.int/Two/, available with French or English commentary.
Or on YouTube in English or in French.
In person events:
13 February
Paris, France
Cité des sciences et de l'industrie - 30, avenue Corentin-Cariou - 75019 Paris.
10h, free access
ESA, in partnership with Cité des Sciences, organises a live watch party on launch day, with the participation of ESA astronaut Raphaël Liégeois and other speakers.
Contact:
ESA : Julie Brière julie.briere@esa.int, Giulia Bosruel-Marino giulia.bosruel-marino@ext.esa.int, or media@esa.int
Cité des Sciences : Aurore Wils / +33 6 46 66 18 97 / aurore.wils@universcience.fr
13 February
Toulouse, France
Cité de l’Espace - Avenue Jean Gonord, BP 2585531 506 Toulouse CEDEX 5.
10h – 18h, free access
Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse is organising a live watch party on launch day with the participation of astronaut instructor Laura André-Boyet, ESA Head of the ISS Increment Training Unit Kris Capelle and ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, as well as other experts including from French space agency CNES.
Contact:
Marlène Meck: m.meck@semeccel.com
For journalists planning to be in Cape Canaveral:
Accreditation to access the Kennedy Space Center is now closed.
For journalists holding a valid accreditation, the ESA media contact on site is Jules Grandsire Jules.grandsire@esa.int. Please get in touch regarding interview requests with ESA Director General and ESA experts.
Later events :
14 and 15 February
Paris, France
Cité des sciences et de l'industrie - 30, avenue Corentin-Cariou - 75019 Paris.
Cité des Sciences is organising a weekend dedicated to space, in partnership with the French air and space force, where ESA experts will present ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and her εpsilon mission.
Contact:
Cité des Sciences : Aurore Wils / +33 6 46 66 18 97 / aurore.wils@universcience.fr
22 February
Paris, France, from 15h00 CET
Grand Rex
ESA invites you to the Grand Rex cinema for an exceptional event celebrating Sophie Adenot's launch to the International Space Station.
The European Space Agency (ESA) invites you to relive Sophie Adenot's launch as part of her εpsilon mission. Rediscover the spectacular images of the take-off on a big screen, analysed live by a unique panel of astronauts and space experts.
Jean-François Clervoy and Claudie Haigneré will share their personal experiences of manned flights, from take-off to life in microgravity, while Raphaël Liégeois, ESA astronaut from Sophie Adenot's class, will give you a behind-the-scenes look at their training.
Daniel Neuenschwander, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA, and Rémi Canton from CNES will reveal the different stages of preparation for this extraordinary mission. A fascinating, educational and inspiring immersion, to understand each stage of the launch and experience with you the extraordinary adventure of manned flight. All this in the legendary setting of the Grand Rex.
Contact ESA: Julie Brière julie.briere@esa.int
To book your seat, click here!
More information
Images
Collection – Photolibrary for professionals
ESA's Photo Library for Professionals:
https://photolibrary.esa.int/
Terms and conditions for using ESA images:
www.esa.int/spaceinimages/ESA_Multimedia/Copyright_Notice_Images
For questions or more information related to ESA images, please contact directly spaceinimages@esa.int.
Videos
ESA Television - Videos - 2024 - 05 - Sophie Adenot: Epsilon mission training
ESA's Video Library for Professionals:
https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos_for_Professionals
Terms and conditions for using ESA videos:
https://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions
For questions or more information related to ESA videos, please contact directly spaceinvideos@esa.int.
Social Media
Follow ESA on:
X: @ESA
Instagram: Europeanspaceagency
Facebook: EuropeanSpaceAgency
YouTube: ESA
LinkedIn: European Space Agency - ESA
Pinterest: European Space Agency - ESA
About the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA has 23 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia are Associate Members.
ESA has established formal cooperation with four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.
Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int