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SpaceX Crew-12 Docks With ISS, Restoring Full Staffing After Early Crew-11 Return

A four-person international crew begins an eight-month stay to restart deferred research and maintenance.

Overview

  • Dragon arrived at the station around 3:15 p.m. ET on Feb. 14, bringing the ISS back to seven occupants after last month’s medical-driven departure of Crew-11.
  • The mission launched at 5:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 13 from Space Launch Complex 40, and the Falcon 9 booster returned to land at LZ-40.
  • The crew comprises NASA’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
  • NASA says the increment will emphasize human-physiology research, technology demonstrations, routine upkeep, and spacewalks that were previously delayed.
  • Liftoff slipped two days due to high winds along the ascent corridor, and SpaceX’s reliability chief said a recent Starlink upper-stage issue did not require changes to Crew-12’s profile.