Crew-12 readies for launch
Update — 9 February 2026: NASA and SpaceX have announced they are now planning to launch the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station no earlier than 10:38 GMT / 11:38 CET (05:38 ET) on Thursday 12 February, due to forecast weather conditions along the flight path of the Dragon spacecraft.
Crew-12 is scheduled to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, no earlier than Wednesday 11 February.
Strapped into the SpaceX Dragon Freedom, the crew of four will launch into orbit on top of a Falcon 9 rocket set for lift-off at 11:01 GMT/12:01 CET (06:01 ET). Their destination is the International Space Station, where they will work and live for nine months.
Crew-12 consists of ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev.
Launch preparations
Sophie and her crewmates entered quarantine at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on 28 January, and travelled to the Astronaut Crew Quarters at the Kennedy Space Center on 6 February. They flew on a NASA plane to avoid breaking quarantine.
The quarantine before a launch lasts about 14 days and is intended to reduce the risk of bringing viruses or bacteria on board the Station. During that time, the crew can only have contact with people who are either in quarantine with them or quarantining themselves in another location.
A dry dress rehearsal will take place on 9 February. This allows the crew and the SpaceX and NASA launch teams to rehearse all the activities that will occur on launch day and to troubleshoot any issues.
Ascent to orbit
Just two and a half minutes after lift-off, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster will separate from the rocket and touch down on Landing Zone 40 at Kennedy Space Center.
After separation, the second stage will ignite and propel Dragon into orbit. Around nine minutes after lift-off, once the second stage cuts its engines, a zero-g indicator (a plush toy chosen by the crew) will start to float inside the capsule, a sign that that the crew have reached orbit.
Arrival at the Space Station
Dragon will spend around 28.5 hours performing phasing manoeuvres to catch up with the Station before docking with the Node-2 Zenith port. The hatches will be opened around two hours later.
Crew-12 will be welcomed on board by NASA astronaut Christopher Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud‑Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, who have been on the Station since their arrival on the Soyuz MS-28 spaceccraft in November 2025.
Sophie Adenot and Jack Hathaway, who are first-time flyers, will then receive their astronaut wings from Station Commander Sergei Kud‑Sverchkov during a short ceremony.
