Four astronauts have successfully begun a new journey to the International Space Station after an early crew departure from the orbiting lab. Today’s NASA SpaceX Crew 12 launch took astronauts from NASA, Roscosmos, and the European Space Agency to the station for a long mission.
Early Friday morning, a SpaceX launch lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The SpaceX launch used a Falcon 9 launch rocket and a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The rocket climbed into the sky right on schedule, drawing attention across the early morning sky.
This rocket launch today marks the NASA SpaceX rocket launch known as Crew-12. It is part of NASA’s ongoing work with SpaceX under the Commercial Crew Program to send astronauts to the station. The mission follows the early return of the previous team, called Crew-11, which came home sooner than planned because of a medical issue on the station.
The Crew-12 team includes two NASA astronauts, Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, a French astronaut named Sophie Adenot, and a Russian cosmonaut, Andrey Fedyaev. They are now on their way to the station where they will stay for about eight months. Their tasks will include scientific work and experiments that help NASA and international partners understand how humans live and work in space.
This NASA SpaceX Crew 12 launch comes after a month during which only three people were aboard the space station. The usual team of seven was reduced when four Crew-11 astronauts left early due to a medical situation. NASA kept details of the condition private. The new Crew-12 astronauts will bring the station back to a full team once they arrive.
The early morning SpaceX launch began at about 5:15 a.m. Eastern Time. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted the crew off the launch pad and sent the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. After the main rocket booster finishes its part, it returns to Earth on its own. Meanwhile, the Dragon capsule continues toward the space station at more than 17,000 miles per hour.
It will take about a day and a half for Crew-12 to reach the International Space Station. They are expected to dock with the station Saturday afternoon. Once there, they will join the astronauts already working on experiments in biology, physics, and technology. The space station is a place where scientists learn how space affects both people and machines, helping NASA prepare for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
This NASA launch today follows careful planning and cooperation between NASA and SpaceX. Late weather checks and technical reviews took place before liftoff. Officials said the weather was favorable for the rocket launch and that all systems were ready.
The SpaceX launch today was streamed live online by NASA and SpaceX. People around the world watched as the Falcon 9 took off. Coverage included views of the rocket powering upward and the booster stage separating, before the Dragon capsule continued into orbit.
With this mission underway, NASA and SpaceX continue their work of keeping the space station busy and productive. For many space fans, this successful rocket launch is another exciting step in human space exploration.
