![\"The](\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/jsc2026e004045\/jsc2026e004045~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1536&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\")
<\/a><\/figure>Four crew members are set to launch to the International Space Station as part of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-12 mission, where they will conduct research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance aboard the orbiting laboratory.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The crew will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft named Freedom. The spacecraft previously flew NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-4 and Crew-9 missions, as well as private astronaut missions Axiom Mission 2 and 3.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir<\/a> and Jack Hathaway<\/a> will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively. They will be joined by ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will serve as mission specialists. Crew-12 will join Expedition 74 crew members already aboard the space station.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n During their eight-month mission, Crew-12 will conduct a variety of science experiments to advance research and technology for future Moon and Mars missions and benefit humanity back on Earth. This research includes studies of pneumonia-causing bacteria to improve treatments, on-demand intravenous fluid generation<\/a> for future space missions, automated plant health monitoring, investigations of plant and nitrogen-fixing microbe interactions<\/a> to enhance food production in space, and research on how physical characteristics may affect blood flow<\/a> during spaceflight.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Meanwhile, support teams are progressing through Dragon preflight milestones for Crew-12, they also are preparing a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster for its second flight. After system checkouts are complete and all components are certified, teams will mate Dragon to Falcon 9 in SpaceX\u2019s hangar at the launch site. The integrated spacecraft and rocket then will roll to the pad for a dry dress rehearsal with the crew and an integrated static fire test before launch.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n This flight is the 12th crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the space station as part of NASA\u2019s<\/a> Commercial Crew Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n This will be the second flight to the space station for Meir, who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013. The Caribou, Maine, native earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in biology from Brown University, a master\u2019s degree in space studies from the International Space University, and a doctorate in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. On her first spaceflight, Meir spent 205 days as a flight engineer during Expedition 61\/62, and she completed the first three all-woman spacewalks with fellow NASA astronaut Christina Koch, totaling 21 hours and 44 minutes outside of the station. Since then, she has served in various roles, including assistant to the chief astronaut for commercial crew (SpaceX), deputy for the Flight Integration Division, and assistant to the chief astronaut for the human landing system. Follow @Astro_Jessica<\/a> on X and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A commander in the United States Navy, Hathaway was selected as part of the 2021 astronaut candidate class. This will be Hathaway\u2019s first spaceflight. The South Windsor, Connecticut, native holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in physics and history from the U.S. Naval Academy and master\u2019s degrees in flight dynamics from Cranfield University and national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College. Hathaway also is a graduate of the Empire Test Pilot\u2019s School, Fixed Wing Class 70 in 2011. At the time of his selection, Hathaway was deployed aboard the USS Truman, serving as Strike Fighter Squadron 81\u2019s prospective executive officer. He has accumulated more than 2,500 flight hours in 30 different aircraft, including more than 500 carrier arrested landings and 39 combat missions. Follow @astro_hathaway<\/a> on X and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Crew-12 mission will be Adenot\u2019s first spaceflight. Before her selection as an ESA astronaut in 2022, Adenot earned a degree in engineering from ISAE-SUPAERO in Toulouse, France, specializing in spacecraft and aircraft flight dynamics. She also earned a master\u2019s degree in human factors engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. After earning her master\u2019s degree, she became a helicopter cockpit design engineer at Airbus Helicopters and later served as a search and rescue pilot at Cazaux Air Base from 2008 to 2012. She then joined the High Authority Transport Squadron in Villacoublay, France, and served as a formation flight leader and mission captain from 2012 to 2017. Between 2019 and 2022, Adenot worked as a helicopter experimental test pilot in Cazaux Flight Test Center with DGA (Direction G\u00e9n\u00e9rale de l\u2019Armement \u2013 the French Defence Procurement Agency). She has logged more than 3,000 hours flying 22 different helicopters. Follow @Soph_astro<\/a> on X and \u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n This will be Fedyaev\u2019s second long-duration stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. He graduated from the Krasnodar Military Aviation Institute in 2004, specializing in aircraft operations and air traffic organization, and earned qualifications as a pilot engineer. Prior to his selection as a cosmonaut, he served as deputy commander of an Ilyushin-38 aircraft unit in the Kamchatka Region, logging more than 600 flight hours and achieving the rank of second-class military pilot. Fedyaev was selected for the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center Cosmonaut Corps in 2012 and has served as a test cosmonaut since 2014. In 2023, he flew to the space station as a mission specialist during NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-6 mission, spending 186 days in orbit as an Expedition 69 flight engineer. For his achievements, Fedyaev was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation and received the Yuri Gagarin Medal.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Following liftoff, Falcon 9 will accelerate Dragon to approximately 17,500 mph. Once in orbit, the crew, along with NASA and SpaceX mission control, will monitor a series of maneuvers to guide Dragon to the space-facing port of the station\u2019s Harmony module. The spacecraft is designed to dock autonomously, but the crew can pilot it manually if necessary.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n After docking, Crew-12 will be welcomed aboard the station by the three-member Expedition 74 crew, including NASA astronaut Chris Williams<\/a> and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev.<\/p>\n While aboard the space station, Crew-12 will welcome a Soyuz spacecraft in July carrying three new crew members: NASA astronaut Anil Menon<\/a> and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. They also will bid farewell to the Soyuz carrying Williams, Kud-Sverchkov, and Mikaev. The crew also is expected to see the arrival of Dragon, Roscosmos Progress, and Northrop Grumman\u2019s Cygnus XL spacecraft for station resupply.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies concentrate on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA is focusing its resources on deep space missions to the Moon as part of the Artemis campaign in preparation for future human missions to Mars.<\/p>\n Learn more about the space station, its research, and crew, at:<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/international-space-station<\/a><\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a> Four crew members are set to launch to the International Space Station as part of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-12 mission, where they will conduct research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance aboard the orbiting laboratory. The crew will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft [\u2026] Continue reading Meet Crew-12<\/h1>\n
<\/a><\/figure>Mission Overview<\/h1>\n
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\nJoseph Zakrzewski <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"