NASA announced the four-person Crew-12 manifest for the SpaceX flight to the International Space Station, targeted for no earlier than Feb. 15, 2026. Jessica Meir will command the mission on her second long-duration flight; Jack Hathaway will make his first spaceflight as pilot. Sophie Adenot (ESA) and Andrey Fedyaev (Roscosmos) round out the team. The mission continues SpaceX's role ferrying crews while NASA focuses on exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
NASA Names Crew For SpaceX Crew-12 — Launch No Earlier Than Feb. 15, 2026
The international space Station ©Image Credit: NASA
NASA has confirmed the four-person crew for the SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled to launch no earlier than Feb. 15, 2026. The team continues the long-standing international mix of U.S., European and Russian astronauts that has kept the station operating for decades.
Crew Lineup
Commander: Jessica Meir — Returning to orbit for a second long-duration mission. Meir previously spent more than six months aboard the ISS and took part in the historic first all-women spacewalks alongside Christina Koch. Since her return she has been active in flight operations and roles supporting NASA's commercial crew and human landing system programs.
Pilot: Jack Hathaway — Selected by NASA in 2021, Hathaway is a former U.S. Navy pilot with thousands of flight hours and extensive carrier-based experience. Crew-12 will be his first spaceflight.
Mission Specialist (ESA): Sophie Adenot — Making her first trip to space, Adenot brings a background as an engineer, search-and-rescue helicopter pilot and experimental test pilot as part of the European Space Agency.
Mission Specialist (Roscosmos): Andrey Fedyaev — The most recently experienced crew member, Fedyaev spent 186 days in orbit on SpaceX Crew-6 where he served as a flight engineer and returned to Earth last year.
What They'll Do On Station
Once aboard, the Crew-12 astronauts will integrate into the ISS' established routine: maintenance tasks, scientific experiments, and daily station operations alongside the incumbent crew. With continuous human presence on the station for more than 25 years, crew rotations are operational transitions rather than public ceremonies — Crew-12 will simply take up the next shift.
Context And Significance
The mission underscores NASA's current approach to low Earth orbit: commercial partners such as SpaceX provide crew transportation while NASA concentrates long-term resources on missions beyond LEO. The ISS orbits roughly 250 miles (about 400 kilometers) above Earth and completes an orbit approximately every 90 minutes.
Source: NASA (summary adapted from GEEKSPIN)
