Additional Coverage:
- SpaceX launches crew to International Space Station after prior team’s medical evacuation (foxbusiness.com)
New Crew Blasts Off to Space Station After Urgent Medical Evacuation
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – Just shy of a month after an unprecedented medical emergency prompted the early return of a crew from the International Space Station, SpaceX and NASA successfully launched a fresh team of astronauts and a cosmonaut into orbit early Friday morning.
The SpaceX Crew-12 mission lifted off at 5:15 a.m. from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, marking the 12th crew rotation flight to the orbiting laboratory as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
On board SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Their journey to the ISS is expected to take approximately 34 hours, with an autonomous docking to the Harmony module anticipated at 3:15 p.m.
Saturday, February 14. During this time, they will be traveling at a blistering 17,000 mph in Earth orbit.
“What an absolutely wonderful start to the day,” exclaimed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman following the successful launch. He praised the agency’s “mission-focused” approach, highlighting the remarkable agility demonstrated in recent weeks. “In the last couple of weeks, we brought Crew-11 home early, we pulled forward Crew-12 to the launch date today, all while simultaneously making preparations for the Artemis 2 mission, which its next window will open up in early March,” Isaacman added.
The new crew will be busy conducting a variety of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations. These experiments are crucial for preparing humanity for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and are also expected to yield benefits for people on Earth.
This rapid turnaround in crew rotations comes after NASA made an “unprecedented” decision in January to bring a crew home early from the International Space Station. The mission was cut short for health reasons – the first time in the station’s 25-year history.
Administrator Isaacman confirmed that a single crew member experienced a medical situation aboard the station on January 7, and is now stable. After extensive consultations, the early return of the crew was ordered, with the crew safely returning to Earth on January 15.
“For over 60 years, NASA has set the standard for safety and security in crewed space flight,” Isaacman emphasized at the time. “The health and the well-being of our astronauts is always and will be our highest priority.”