SpaceX Crew-12 Arrives at ISS, Restoring Full Crew After Emergency

Four astronauts reached the International Space Station on February 14, 2026, bringing the station back to full staffing after an emergency led to the early departure of the previous crew.

The Crew-12 team, consisting of NASA’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA’s Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos’ Andrey Fedyaev, traveled to the station aboard a SpaceX spacecraft. The mission launched from Cape Canaveral on February 13, 2026, using a Falcon 9 rocket, and the crew arrived at the station about 34 hours later.

This arrival took place after NASA’s first in-orbit medical evacuation, which required the Crew-11 astronauts to return to Earth earlier than planned in January 2026 due to a medical issue involving one team member. Crew-11, made up of Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov, landed back on Earth on January 15, 2026.

NASA responded to the reduced crew by pausing spacewalks and limiting research activities on the station until the new team arrived. The Crew-12 mission is scheduled to last between eight and nine months, with the astronauts expected to conduct scientific research and station maintenance during their stay.

What the numbers show

• Crew-12 launched on February 13, 2026
• The spacecraft docked with the ISS at 3:15 p.m. EST on February 14, 2026
• The mission is planned to last eight to nine months

Sophie Adenot became the second French woman to travel to space, following Claudie Haigneré’s missions in the 1990s. Adenot is scheduled to remain on the ISS for about eight months as part of Expedition 74/75, focusing on scientific experiments.

Jessica Meir, one of the NASA astronauts on Crew-12, previously took part in the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. The Crew-12 team’s arrival allows the ISS to resume activities that were suspended after the Crew-11 evacuation.

NASA stated that the medical screening procedures for Crew-12 remained unchanged from previous missions, despite the recent health incident that affected Crew-11. The agency confirmed that the same protocols were followed for the new crew’s preparation and launch.

The Crew-12 mission involves collaboration among NASA, ESA, and Roscosmos, with each agency providing one or more astronauts for the current expedition. The arrival of the new team restores the station’s ability to carry out its planned schedule of experiments and operations.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.