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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission successfully launched four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this month as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

The mission lifted off at 5:15 a.m. EST on Friday, February 13, 2026, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Crew Dragon spacecraft into orbit, carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Meir (commander) and Jack Hathaway (pilot), ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot (mission specialist), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (mission specialist).

This mission marks the first spaceflight for new NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot.

The Falcon 9 first stage, on its second flight, landed successfully at Landing Zone 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station following separation. The Dragon spacecraft, named Freedom, had previously flown on Crew-4, Ax-2, Ax-3, and Crew-9 missions.

After a roughly 34-hour journey, the Crew Dragon autonomously docked to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 3:15 p.m. EST on Saturday, February 14, 2026. Hatches opened about one hour and 45 minutes later, allowing the Crew-12 members to join the Expedition 74 crew aboard the ISS.

This marked the 12th operational crew rotation mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program using SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, and the 20th crewed orbital flight of a Crew Dragon vehicle overall (including the Demo-2 test flight).

The arrival restored the ISS to a full complement of seven crew members after the station had operated with a reduced crew of three for about a month, following an earlier-than-planned return of the previous rotation due to a medical concern.

During their expected multi-month stay (with landing planned later in 2026), the Crew-12 astronauts will participate in Expedition 74 and transition to Expedition 75.

They will conduct a variety of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations aimed at preparing for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit—including future missions to the Moon and Mars—while also delivering benefits to people on Earth.Research includes studies on pneumonia-causing bacteria to improve cardiovascular treatments, on-demand intravenous fluid generation for space missions, automated plant health monitoring, plant and nitrogen-fixing microbe interactions to support food production in space, and how physical characteristics affect blood flow during spaceflight.

Crew-12 is an international effort involving NASA, ESA, and Roscosmos, highlighting continued collaboration on the ISS. NASA and SpaceX teams monitored the launch, ascent, and docking phases, with live coverage provided on their 𝕏 profiles.

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