SpaceX Launches Four Astronauts for Valentine’s Day Docking With Space Station

Last Updated:February 13, 2026, 17:07 IST

NASA and SpaceX launched Crew-12, sending Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev to the ISS for 240 days of vital research and station operations.

NASA and SpaceX achieved another milestone in commercial human spaceflight on Friday, February 13, 2026, with the successful launch of the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying four astronauts aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience. The mission aims to reinforce the ISS crew following the early return of Crew-11 in January due to an undisclosed medical emergency.

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway are serving as commander and pilot of Crew-12, respectively. They are joined by European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will act as mission specialists.

The four-member team will join Expedition 74 crew members already aboard the ISS. Representing three major space agencies, Crew-12 is scheduled to spend approximately eight months or about 240 days in orbit. During that time, they will conduct more than 300 experiments in microgravity.

The extended duration, longer than the typical six-month rotation, is intended to maintain station operations and research continuity after Crew-11’s early departure on January 15.

Mission managers gave final approval for launch after a February 12 Launch Readiness Review, overcoming earlier weather-related delays.

About seven minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9’s first-stage booster successfully returned to Landing Zone 1, marking its 15th flight and further demonstrating SpaceX’s reusable rocket capability.

Crew Dragon is expected to autonomously dock with the ISS’s Harmony module on Saturday, February 14, following a 24-hour journey in orbit.

While aboard the space station, Crew-12 will focus on research in biotechnology, fluid physics, and materials science — studies considered vital for future Artemis lunar missions and eventual Mars exploration. Key experiments include growing protein crystals that may aid cancer drug development, testing radiation shielding technologies for deep-space travel, and conducting Earth observation research to support climate monitoring.

Many of these experiments have potential applications on Earth, including advancements in medical diagnostics and fire suppression technologies.

The mission underscores NASA’s growing reliance on commercial partnerships, with SpaceX now responsible for all US crew rotations to the ISS. As the space station approaches its planned retirement in 2030, missions like Crew-12 are expected to support the transition to privately operated stations, including those developed by companies such as Axiom Space.

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