The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and SpaceX launched a four-astronaut relief crew to the International Space Station early on February 13 at 5:15 EST (3:45 pm IST). The crew will conduct research, technology demonstrations and maintenance on the orbiting laboratory.
NASA’s Crew-12 members, Russian astronaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway, Jessica Meyer and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot (Reuters)SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on time from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Docking to the ISS is scheduled for around 3:15pm EST (1:45pm IST) on February 14, making it a Valentine’s Day arrival for Crew-12.
According to NASA, the Dragon spacecraft separated from Falcon 9’s second stage and began flying on its own at 5:24 EST (IST). The spacecraft is traveling at about 17,500 miles per hour.
Who is the crew?NASA astronauts Jessica Meyer and Jack Hathaway are serving as the spacecraft’s commander and pilot. They are accompanied by European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will serve as mission specialists. Roscosmos is a Russian state corporation for the space program.
Crew-12 will join Expedition 74 crew members already aboard the International Space Station.
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What will the mission involve?NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission is an eight-month-long mission carrying out various science experiments for research on future Moon and Mars missions.
This research includes studies to improve treatment of pneumonia-causing bacteria, on-demand intravenous fluid generation for future space missions, and automated plant health monitoring, among others.
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Mission TimelineOnce in orbit, the crew will observe several maneuvers to guide Dragon into space facing the International Space Station’s Harmony Module port. The spacecraft will dock autonomously, but can also be done manually if needed.
After docking with the ISS, the crew will be greeted by the already present 3-member Expedition Crew 74. These include NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Svarchkov and Sergey Mikayev.
While on the ISS, Crew-12 will welcome the Soyuz spacecraft in July, carrying three new crew members.
