ARTEMIS aims at the Moon & Artemis 1 – November 2022

Artemis goddess of the Moon and twin sister of Apollo (NASA, Scott Schafer, 2022).

The Artemis programme consists of a series of missions originally aimed at landing astronauts on the Moon by 2024 to study the surface with new technologies and to develop a sustainable exploration model that will help learn and improve space habitation in preparation for the next giant leap, sending astronauts to Mars.

Humans travelled to the Moon onboard 6 Apollo missions between 1968 and 1972. Of the 24 NASA astronauts that made the trip, half walked on the lunar surface, while the other half remained in orbit around our natural satellite (see Moonwalkers below).

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Updates

11 Dec 2022: Artemis 1 Splashdown.
16 Nov 2022: Artemis 1 Launch.

Background

NASA's Artemis Programme.
Artemis plans for the Moon.
Moonwalkers.
Artemis Accords.
Artemis Goddess of the Moon.

References

UPDATES

Artemis 1 – Splashdown 11 December 2022

Artemis 1 splashed down on Dec 11, 2022, 17:40:30 UTC west of Baja California after a 25-day uncrewed flight around the Moon. It performed a skip-reentry profile that spreads out the deceleration (g-loads) over a longer period by aerodynamically "bouncing off" the atmosphere during the initial reentry and then reentering a second time shortly after.

Travelling at 38,200 km/h as it approached the Earth, it entered the atmosphere at that speed at an altitude of 113 km. Then performed a re-entry at 87 km of altitude with a speed of 26,000 km/h, followed by further deceleration. The first set of parachutes were deployed at 8 km of altitude slowing down the vehicle from 500 to 200 km/h, the second set was deployed at 2 km of altitude bringing the speed to 25 km/h required for splashed down.

Watch the last 25 minutes of the return home from the perspective of a GoPro Hero 4 camera inside Orion.

Artemis 1 Reentry video with Telemetry, 11 December 2022 (Simeon Schmauß, YouTube, 2026) (25min).

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Artemis 1 – Launch 16 November 2022

Artemis 1 was an uncrewed Moon-orbiting mission that launched on 16 November 2022 from Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA. It was the first major spaceflight of NASA’s Artemis Programme, with the main objective of testing its components and the land support systems.

Artemis 1 launch on 16 November 2022 (NASA, 2022).

The mission was an integrated system that consisted of the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at the launch site.

The first two launch attempts were cancelled due to a faulty engine temperature on 29 August 2022 and Hydrogen leak during fuelling on 03 September 2022. Each time, the SLS was rolled out and back to NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) where building and repairs were carried out.

The Artemis 1 vehicle was a Block 1 variant of the SLS: A core stage, two solid rocket boosters and an upper stage. The core stage had x4 RS-25D refurbished engines previously flown by the Space Shuttle around the turn of the century. The boosters also come from the Shuttle era and each contains a single motor and nozzle. The upper stage had a single RL10B-2 engine.

At launch, the core and boosters produced 4,000 tons of thrust at liftoff.

Journey and destination

After liftoff, the solid rocket boosters separated and splashed down on the ocean. Later, the Launch Abort System was jettisoned and the core stage separated to descend and also splash down.

Once in Earth’s orbit, the upper stage gained speed with a Perigee Raise burn and then a Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) burn that placed the Orion spacecraft on a trajectory to the Moon. At 3,700 km of altitude, Orion separated from the second stage to continue towards the Moon.

Outside Earth’s orbit most of the CubeSats were deployed in 2 stages, the last one was released near the moon’s orbit.

Three weeks later Orion came within 130km from the lunar surface and entered Lunar Orbit. Orion reached a distance of 432,210 km away from Earth becoming the farthest distance from Earth travelled by an Earth-returning human-rated spacecraft, a record previously held by After Apollo 13 (400,171 km).

Orion orbited the Moon from 25 November to 01 December 2022, when it began its journey back home.

Artemis 1: Left: Orion looking back at the Earth, 16 November. Right: Orion approaching the Moon, 20 November 2022 (NASA, 2022).

Artemis 1: Orion closest to the Moon, 04 December 2022 (NASA, 2022).

The following graphic shows a summary of Artemis 1 mission. The journey consisted of 9 days, 10 hr outbound, 6 days in lunar orbit and 9 days 19 hr return, making a total of 25 days.

Artemis 1: Mission summary (NASA, 2022).

Artemis 1 Payload

Mannequins with sensors. Three mannequins were installed in the Orion Spacecraft:

• NASA’s “Captain Moonikin Campos” that recorded data on what the crew will experience.
• German Aerospace Centre’s “Helga” phantom torso measured radiation exposure without a vest. Its dosimetres detected radiation levels at stem-cell-concentration tissue locations.
• Israel Space Agency’s “Zohar” phantom torso tested the AstroRad radiation vest. The comparison provided data on the effectiveness of the vest.

Mannequins: Captain Moonikin Campos on the cockpit wearing orange.
Left: AstroRad vest. Right from top: Helga and Zohar wearing the Astrorad vest (NASA, 2022).

Technology demonstration: Amazon and Cisco in collaboration with Lockheed Martin developed “Callisto” that uses video conferencing and the Amazon Alexa Virtual Assistant to interact with mission control. They also posted messages from the public that were displayed at Orion.

The zero-G indicators selected by the teams: NASA sent a plush doll of “Snoopy” wearing an orange astronaut suit, and ESA sent “Shaun the Sheep” wearing an ESA blue suit.

Orion capsule interior showing Captain Moonikin Campos on the pilot seat, the Callisto techno demonstration in the centre.
Right: Floating Snoopy (green circle), enlarged for better view. Also, Shaun the Sheep from ESA (NASA. 2022).

Artemis 1 CubeSats

A CubeSat is a small satellite with a limit of 2 kg and a form factor of 10 cm. 10 CubeSats were carried in the Stage Adapter above the Second Stage. From those, 7 were selected by 3 groups at NASA and 3 were submitted by international partners.

1. ArgoMoon by the Italian Space Agency, designed by Argotec to image the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage. Operational.
2. EQUULEUS by the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and the University of Tokyo to image the Earth’s plasmasphere and craters on the far side of the Moon. Operational.
3. OMOTENASHI by JAXA, a lunar probe that would have attempted to land using solid rocket motors. The CubeSat failed to start.
4. BioSentinel by NASA to detect effects of deep space radiation on yeast card rehydrated in space. Operational.
5. Lunar IceCube by Morehead State Univesity, USA., to orbit the moon and detect water and organic compoundsin the surface and exosphere with imfrared spectrometry. Contact was lost after launch.
6. Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper by NASA’s SIMPLEx programme aimed at orbiting the Moon and look for lunar water ice in permanently shadowed craters using a neutron detector. Engines failed to ignite and was lost.
7. LunIR by Lockheed Martin to flyby the Moon and record thermography. Communications were lost and no data was collected during flyby.
8. Near-Earth Asteroid Scout by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, would have flown by a near-earth asteroid using a Solar Sail. Communications were lost after launch and was lost.
9. Solar Particles by the Southwest Research Institute, USA, was to orbit the Sun and study particle and magnetic activity. Contact was lost after launch.
10. Team Miles by Fluid and Reason, USA., to demonstrate low-thrust plasma propulsion in deep space. Contact was not established after deployment.

Of the 10 CubeSats launched with Artemis 1, three remained operational after deployment. The remaining 7 failed.

END of UPDATES

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BACKGROUND

NASA’s Artemis Programme

The Artemis Programme was established in 2017 with the goal of returning to the Moon through five increasingly complex missions. The main element is the Space Launch System (SLS), a super heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle derived from developments that started with the Space Shuttle (1981-2011).

For each launch, the central Core Stage, built by Boeing, reuses and expends 4 pre-flown RS-25D refurbished engines demounted from the Space Shuttles (14 engines were left over). The stage contains liquid Oxygen and Hydrogen.

Solid Boosters Releasing from
the Space Shuttle (NASA, 2007).

SLS also uses two solid rocket boosters, also derived and refurbished from the Shuttle, they are filled with a composite propellant composed of Aluminium powder as fuel and Ammonium perchlorate as oxidiser, bound together with Polybutadiene acrylonitrile, a propellant fuel.

After 10 years of development, the first SLS launched from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on 16 November 2022 carrying the Artemis 1 mission (see below).

Space Launch System (SLS): Top: SLS at launch. 3D model. Solid Boosters. Bottom: Core Stage rollout from the building station (NASA, 2011).

SLS missions

Artemis 1. Launched 16 November 2022

The mission tested the SLS and the Orion spacecraft, reaching a polar lunar orbit that was kept for 6 days. Upon re-entry, the heatshield experienced more erosion than expected but splashed down in the Pacific Ocean successfully (see Updates).

Artemis 2. Launched 01 April 2026

First crewed flight to orbit the Moon and return to Earth in a similar way to Apollo 8 (1968) (see relevant blogpost).

Artemis 3. Launch 2027

Crewed mission that will practice docking test in low Earth orbit with a lunar landers developed and launched separately by Space X (Starship HLS) and Blue Origin (Blue Moon). The crew will also test the space suit known as the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU). This mission is comparable to Apollo 9 (1969).

Artemis 4. Launch 2028

Planned to land on the Moon. A prior support flight will place a lander in lunar orbit to which the crew will dock and use for landing and returning to the orbiting Orion that will take the crew back to Earth. This mission is comparable to Apollo 11 (1969).

Artemis 5. Launch 2028

Expected to perform the second lunar landing to begin the build of the Moon Base.

The SLS has various configurations that can be adapted to the needs of the mission and to the payload requirements.

SLS configurations with different payload capacities, some with the Orion capsule for crew atop (NASA, 2021).

Support missions

Lander vehicles are being developed separately by SpaceX and Blue Origin. Both will autonomously gain lunar orbit before the crewed flights arrive. Both plan on using refueling in Earth’s orbit before departing to the Moon.

SpaceX is developing the Starship Human Landing system (HLS), a variant of the Starship currently tested. It will transport crew from Lunar orbit to Lunar Surface, support them for 7 days and return to meet the Orion capsule in orbit.

Blue Origin is developing the Blue Moon landers Mark 1 and 2. Mark 1 will autonomously land on the moon with a 3-ton cargo that includes a Lunar Rover and infrastructure for a Moon base. Mark 2 will transport Crew to the surface and able to support them for up to 30 days.

Left: Mark 1 and Mark 2 landers developed by Bue Origin. Right: Spaceship HLS lander developed by SpaceX (NASA, Blue Origin, SpaceX, 2021).

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Plans for the Moon

Landing zone

NASA identified 9 possible landing zones in the South Pole at the edge of the lit and dark sides of the Moon.

Artemis 1 will inspect the landing zones located around the South Pole of the Moon, adjacent to the Shackelton Crater, a 19 km-diameter depression surrounded by an elevated rim that offers light and shade and potential protection from comet impacts. As a temperature transition area, it offers shaded areas for storage and habitation decreasing direct sun light and radiation exposure. It has the potential of containing sub-surface water.

The potential landing areas are:

1. Peak near Cabeus B.
2. Haworth.
3. Malapert Massif.
4. Mons Mouton Plateau.
5. Mons Mouton.
6. Nobile Rim 1.
7. Nobile Rim 2.
8. de Gerlache Rim 2.
9. Slater Plain.

Artemis 3 is the first Moon-Landing mission and is projected to launch in 2027.

Moon potential landing sites around the Shackelton crater that borders the South Pole (NASA, 2024).

At the South Pole of the Moon, the sun is always close to the horizon. The edges of the Shackleton Crater get sunlight almost all the time throughout the year, making this an ideal location to generate energy using solar panels, but the sun never raises to illuminate the inside of the crater, which is always dark. Temperatures in this area would not have the extreme variations measured in the equator (14 earth days of daylight at 100 C & 14 days of night, reaching -150 C) but vary depending where you are in the crater.

Using the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Laser Altimeter (LOLA), it is possible to simulate sunlight and shadow on the surface of the Moon.

The following simulation shows Shackleton Crater’s illumination changes expected in 2026.

Lunar South Pole: Sunlight and shadow simulation expected for 2026, shown at 2-hour intervals (Wright E, NASA, 2026) (2m 26s, no audio).

Shackleton Crater

The Shackleton Crater might be the most promising location for a Lunar Base Camp. This is a 21km wide, 4km deep, bowl-shaped depression with raised edges, located at the Moon’s South Pole. Images generated based on LOLA’s data shows boulders and low hills inside. The cold and permanently dark interior may have ice water and other volatile substances.

Shackleton crater marked with colour elevation guides where red is the highest and blue the deepest at 4km.
The Earth-facing side of the Moon is on the right (Wright E, NASA, 2012).

Size reference: Shackleton Crater has an area similar to that of most of London’s city centre, between The Regent’s Park and Peckham Rye Park, separated by approximately 21 km.

Shackleton crater over imposed on a 3D satellite image of London City (ren@rt, NASA, Google Earth, 2026).

Base Camp and Vehicles

The final goal of the Artemis programme is to set up the Artemis Base Camp, a permanent research station on the Moon. This will be supported by US Government and commercial programmes. The base will have 3 initial modules:

• The Surface Habitat (SH) to hold the first residents of the Moon and infrastructure.
• The Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), an unpressurised rover designed to transport astronauts and cargo.
• The Pressurised Rover (PR), a vehicle with small backup habitational facilities to enable multi-day explorations far away from the base.

Many concepts of a Moonbase have been envisioned and are currently under development by various contractors and nations.

NASA's Artemis Base Camp concept that envisions the foundation surface habitat and the lunar vehicles (NASA, 2020).

ESA’s concept of the Moonbase shielded by Regolith (lunar dust) (ESA, 2018).

Podcast about the Moon

Listen to the NASA’s Curious Universe podcast episode about “Why the Moon’s icy South Pole is a target for NASA”. On this episode, host Jacob Pinter discusses details of the lunar terrain including the Shackleton Crater with guest Brett Denevi, a Planetary Geologist from the Applied Physics Laboratory at John Hopkins University. Jacob also talks about scouting the Moon with robots with Michelle Munk, Chief Architect for the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA.

Why the Moon Icy Soth Pole is a Hot Target for NASA?
NASA’s Curious Universe podcast: Season 8, episode 5, 21 January 2025 (NASA, 2025) (36m 39s).

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Moonwalkers

A total of 24 American astronauts travelled to the moon during the Apollo era (1966-1972). Half of them remained in lunar orbit while the other half landed on the moon. Only 3 of them travelled twice: James Lovell (A.8 & 13), John Young (A 10 & 16) and Gene Cernan (A. 10 & 17).

Of the 12 astronauts that walked on the moon the first ones were Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin (Apollo 11, 1969) but all of them made history by completing missions that were daring and dangerous.

Learning from the Apollo programme, the updated Artemis 2 mission will repeat what Apollo 8 did 58 years earlier, reach Lunar orbit. Apollo 8 was composed of 3 astronauts: Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders.

Buzz Aldrin walking on the Moon, Apollo 11, 1969 (NASA, 1969).

Moonwalkers: 12 American astronauts that walked on the Moon, 1969-1972 (NASA, 2026).

Apollo programme landing sites: Between 1996 and 1972, astronauts landed in 6 zones near the equator (NASA, 2026).

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Artemis Accords

International cooperation in space intends to promote space exploration and enhance peaceful relationships between nations. The Artemis Accords affirm that activities should be exclusively for peaceful purposes consistent with the Outer Space Treaty (see below).

On 13 October 2020, representatives of 8 space agencies from around the world signed an agreement or accord that reflects their mutual interest in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, highlighting the importance of cooperation agreements in the exploration of space.

The Artemis Accords were initially signed by representatives from the following countries:

• Australia: Dr Megan Clark, AC, Head of Australian Space Agency.
• Canada: Lisa Campbell, President of the Canadian Space Agency.
• Italy: On. Riccardo Fraccaro, Undersecretary of State at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
• Japan: Inoue Shinji, Minister of State for Space Policy, and Haguida Koichi, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
• Luxemburg: Franz Fayot, Minister of the Economy.
• United Arab Emirates: Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technologies, Chairwoman of UAE Space Agency.
• United Kingdom: Dr Graham Turnock, Chief executive of the UK Space Agency.
• United States of America: James Bridenstine, Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The commitment was expanded on 26 January 2026, when a total of 61 nations signed the accords. The principles will support a safe and sustainable exploration of space.

The Artemis Accords were signed by 61 countries in January 2026 (NASA, 2026).

Stipulations

Transparency

This is a key principle in civil space exploration and NASA has always been an example of this principle. Signatories will follow and disseminate the information.

Interoperability

It is critical to ensure that systems are compatible and work together for safety and functionality. Signatories will adhere to interoperability standards and will develop them when needed.

Emergency assistance

Providing assistance to those in need is an essential responsibility of a civil space programme. Signatories committed to take all reasonable efforts to assists astronauts in distress and follow obligations under the Rescue and Return Agreement.

Registration of space objects

To promote safety and sustainability in space activities, a registration of all objects taken to space will help facilitate consultation and coordination to avoid interference among activities.

Release of scientific data

Signatories committed to share openly data and plan to release scientific results publicly so that people around the world can benefit from the journey of exploration and discovery.

Preserving outer space heritage

Historically significant sites and artifacts have communal importance, and signatories will preserve outer space heritage.

Space resources

The ability to extract and utilise resources from outer space is critical to support safe and sustainable space exploration. Signatories committed to follow the Outer Space treaty in this respect.

Deconfliction of space activities

To prevent harmful interference, signatories will make public: The general nature and location of their operations and refrain from intentional actions to create harmful interference with each other’s use of outer space. Safety Zones will be implemented and their size, scope and duration agreed based on scientific and engineering principles.

Orbital debris

Signatories commit to plan for the mitigation of orbital debris, including safe, timely and efficient disposal of spacecraft at the end of their missions to preserve a safe and sustainable space environment for public and private activities.

Outer Space Treaty (OST)

Among the key provisions of this international treaty is the prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons in space, limiting the use of all celestial bodies to peaceful purposes. The treaty declares space as an area for free use by all and “shall be the province of all mankind”.

The Outer Space Treaty was originally signed in 1967 and so far, 118 countries are parties to the treaty and 20 are signatories. The OTS states primarily:

• The exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind.
• Outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all states.
• Outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation and any other means.
• States shall not place nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit, celestial bodies or statin them in any other manner in outer space.
• Celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes, prohibiting the use for testing weapons of any kind, conducting military manoeuvres or establishing military bases.
• Astronauts shall be regarded as envoys of mankind.
• States shall be responsible for activities carried out by governmental or non-governmental entities.
• States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects.
• States shall avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies.

Outer Space Treaty: Participating and non-participating countries (Wikipedia, 2026).

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Artemis Goddess of the Moon

In ancient Greek Mythology Artemis was considered Goddess of nature, childbirth, wildlife, the Moon, the hunt, sudden death, animals, virginity, young women, and archery. Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo, god of music, and her parents were the King of Gods, Zeus and his lover Leto, who was forbidden from giving birth on land by Zeus’ wife Hera.

Artemis was a protector of young girls and women although she would bring disease upon them and relieve them of it. She is the goddess of childbirth and midwifery and sworn never to marry, becoming the Greek virgin goddess, immune to love and lust (powers of Aphrodite). Artemis is the hunting goddess who is not to be crossed. According to myth, a young hunter Actaeon sees her bathing nude, in anger, she turns him into a deer, killed and devoured by his own dogs.

The Roman deity equivalent to Artemis is Diana, the Goddess of Hunting, Wilderness and the Moon.

Diana, Goddess of the Wilderness and the Moon. Painting by Guillaume Seignac, France 1900; and
Diana of Versailles, Roman sculpture copy of Greek Artemis, Louvre Museum, France (Wikipedia, 2026).

Goddess Artemis, modern interpretation (ren@rt, Google AI, 2026).

Artemis Logos and Patch

The Artemis logo is composed by the blue earth crescent, a red trajectory and at the tip of the “A” for Artemis is the Moon.

The Artemis patch has the logo on a polygon shape that represents the silver tip of an arrow.

The Women on the Moon logo has a portrait of the Greek Goddess Artemis in light and shadows. It represents the first time a woman astronaut will make it to the Moon.

Women on the Moon logo; Artemis logo at the top and arrow-shaped patch below (NASA, 2022).

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REFERENCES

» Wikipedia (2022) Apollo programme. [Online article]. Available at Wikipedia.org. Accessed: 04 April 2026.
» NASA (2022) Around the Moon with NASA’s first launch of SLS with Orion. NASA. [Online article]. Available at NASA.gov. Accessed: 08 September 2022.
» NASA (2022) Artemis. NASA. [Online article]. Available at NASA.gov. Accessed: 08 September 2022.
» NASA (2022) Illumination at the Moon's South Pole to 80°S, 2025 to 2028. Scientific Visualisation Studio, NASA [Online article]. Available at NASA.gov. Accessed: 08 September 2022.
» NASA (2026) Space Launch System. NASA. [Online article]. Available at NASA.gov. Accessed: 08 September 2022.
» NASA (2022) The Artemis Accords. NASA. [Online article]. Available at NASA.gov. Accessed: 08 September 2022.
» NASA (2026) The Moon. NASA. [Online article]. Available at NASA.gov. Accessed: 27 March 2026.
» NASA (2022) Who Has Walked on the Moon? NASA, Solar system exploration, 20 July 2022. [Online article]. Available at solarsystem.nasa.gov. Accessed: 08 September 2022.
» NASA (2022) Visualising Shackleton Crater. Scientific Visualisation Studio. NASA, 12 June 2012. [Online article]. Available at SVS.nasa.gov. Accessed: 05 April 2012.
» Wikipedia (2022) Artemis. [Online article]. Available at Wikipedia.org. Accessed: 08 September 2022.
» Wikipedia (2022) Artemis I. [Online article]. Available at Wikipedia.org. Accessed: 27 March 2026.
» Wikipedia (2026) Blue Moon (spacecraft). [Online article]. Available at Wikipedia.org. Accessed: 27 March 2026.
» Wikipedia (2026) Outer Space Treaty. [Online article]. Available at Wikipedia.org. Accessed: 02 April 2026.
» Wikipedia (2026) Shackleton (crater). [Online article]. Available at Wikipedia.org. Accessed: 03 April 2026.
» Wikipedia (2026) Shuttle-derived vehicle. [Online article]. Available at Wikipedia.org. Accessed: 27 March 2026.
» Wikipedia (2026) Starship HLS. [Online article]. Available at Wikipedia.org. Accessed: 27 March 2026.

== END of Artemis + Artemis 1 ===

SpaceX-NASA Crew 12 Launch – Friday 13 February 2026

Article cover: SpaceX Crew 12 (left to right): Roscosmos’ Fedyaev, NASA’s Hathaway and Meir, and ESA’s Adenot
floating in front of a photo of ISS taken from the approaching Dragon Capsule (SpaceX / NASA, 13-14 February 2026).

SpaceX-Crew 12 launched on Friday 13 February 2026 from Florida taking the multinational crew to the International Space Station (ISS) where they joined ISS Expedition 74/75.

In a flowless flight, the Falcon 9 rocket delivered the Dragon capsule into orbit and this spacecraft docked to the ISS the following day.

Go to

Updates

16 Mar 2026: Sophie's updates.
14 Feb 2026: Welcome to ISS.
14 Feb 2026: Docking to ISS.

Background

Crew 12 Launch - 13 Feb 2026.
Wightlessness.
Russian space science.
Crew 12 Members.
Crew 12's Science at ISS.
Launch Interviews.
Watch Launch and Docking Broadcasts.

References

UPDATES

Sophie Adenot's updates and poetry – 16 March 2026

Astronaut Sophie Adenot has been sending regular updates to Toulouse’s website “Cité de l'espace”, that posts all things related to space and particularly Adenot’s activities at ISS. Her updates also appear on the permanent exhibition “Mission εpsilon” in Toulouse, France, also known as the European Capital of Space Aeronautics (Capitale Européenne de l’Aéronautique et du Spatial).

On 16 March Sophie posted a video of a demonstration of how a Gyroscope conserves angular momentum, that stabilises it and makes it “float”. This technology is used to stabilize certain satellites.

On 12 March, Sophie Adenot posted a poem in English (see below) as an announcement to open a competition of poems about space, or Astropoems (Astropoèmes), open to 5- to 15-year-old children. Participants are invited to send their poems in PDF format until 7 May 2026, when Adenot will select the winners. Poems can be sent using an online form available at https://milan-jeunesse.com/mj/actus/astropoemes-un-concours-de-poesie-sur-lespace.

Sophie Adenot update images from ISS and poster of the “Concour Astopoemes”, a poem competition for children (Cité des l’espace, 2026).

Sophie Adenot’s poem posted on 12 March 2026 (Text by Sophie Adenot, Cité de l’espace, NASA, ESA, 2026).

The permanent exhibition “Mission εpsilon” at Cité de l’espaceà, Toulouse, France (Cité des l’espace, 2026).

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Crew-12 welcome ceremony at ISS
14 February 2026

After a successful launch and docking manoeuvres, SpaceX-NASA Crew 12 were welcomed at the ISS by the 3 astronauts of Expedition 74 who were living at the station since the departure of Crew 11 on 14 January 2025: NASA’s Christopher Williams and Roscosmos’ Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev.

Crew 12’s mission “Epsilon” contemplates working at ISS for 8 months.

Commander Jessica Meir congratulated the ground teams of SpaceX and NASA that worked together to achieve yet another successful delivery of astronauts to the ISS. Each member of the crew talked about their experience during training and ascent. This was the first flight to space for Sophie Adenot and Jack Hathaway, and the second for Jessica Meir and Andrey Fedyaev.

Expedition 74 (top, left to right): Kud-Sverchkov, Williams and Mikayev; and
arriving Crew 12 (bottom, left to right): Fedyaev, Hathaway, Meir and Adenot (SpaceX, NASA, 14 February 2026).

The combined crew formed Expedition 74/75 that will celebrate 25 years of continuous human presence in space, working in scientific research. The main activities for the crew are maintenance and science research that over the years required delivering more than 150 tons of logistics since its launch on 20 November 1998 (see upcoming post on ISS).

Crew 12 entering ISS through Zenith port. Top: Sophie Adenot and Jack Hathaway.
Bottom: Float and fun (SpaceX, NASA, 14 February 2026).

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Dragon docking to ISS – 14 February 2026

The SpaceX Dragon Capsule successfully docked to the ISS at 20:15 GMT on Saturday 14 February 2026 (same time as that within ISS or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)).

The event was broadcast live by SpaceX and NASA communicators and begun when Dragon was at around 400 metres from the International Space Station (ISS). Within one hour all the waypoints were passed successfully and in the final 20 metres, docking was controlled autonomously, first completing a soft contact and then securing a hard docking, which activates 12 hooks that secure the vessels together. Shortly after confirming docking, the astronauts were allowed to take off their spacesuits and prepare to board the ISS. This preparation includes an inventory of material used, food and liquid consumed and even liquid collected as urine, as this will be recycled at ISS to recover water.

Dragon docked to Node 2 Zenith hatch, one of the 8 docking ports at the ISS (6 currently in use). Astronaut Chris Williams (one of the current crew of 3 at ISS) prepared the port for the arrival of the crew 12. Among other duties, he was in charge or pressurising the vestibule or small gap between the vehicles.

Top: View of ISS from approx. 400m as Dragon approaches for docking.
Bottom: View of Dragon’s control panel operated by the pilot and the commander (SpaceX, NASA, 14 February 2026).

Dragon Freedom at 100m from ISS, then at 1m from Node 2 Zenith port, and finally in contact with the station (SpaceX, NASA, 14 February 2026).

END of UPDATES

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BACKGROUND

SpaceX – NASA’s Crew 12's Launch - 13feb2026

SpaceX’s Crew 12 launched successfully on board a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Centre’s Launch complex 40 in Cape Canaveral. Florida, USA on Friday 13 February 2026. The Dragon Freedom Capsule fitted at the top of the rocket carried the crew of four to the International Space Station (ISS). The event marked the beginning of an 8-month mission named “Epsilon”.

A Nominal Launch

Preparations commonly start 6 hours before launch, when the astronauts arrive at the Preparation Room for Pre-launch checks of personal equipment and communications. Specialists help them put on their customised suits (donning); followed by a medical evaluation to ensure their fitness to fly. Traditionally, the astronauts play a card game with a member of the team before leaving the room to greet the public and their families before embarking their Tesla vehicles that take them to the launch pad.

Typically, during that short trip, astronauts typically select a piece of music to inspire them for their journey. At the launch pad, they ride a lift pressing the top button that says “Space”. They ring a bell at the top of the tower before they walk along the loading arm to the capsule. Specialists secure the crew into their seats and verify the hatch is closed properly before retracting the loading arm.

Top: Crew 12 emerging from the preparation zone, boarding their Tesla vehicles after saying goodbye to their families.
Bottom: Pilot and Commander, followed by Mission Specialists walking along the boarding arm (SpaceX, NASA, 13 February 2026).

Two hours before launch Falcon 9 is fuelled. The rocket’s Merlin engines burn two fuels: A refined form of Kerosene “RP-1” and liquid Oxygen “LOX”, the former at ambient temperature and the latter in cryogenic form (chilled to -183^oC) to maintain its liquid state.

At launch, the main lifting force comes from the First Stage’s 9 Merlin engines that together produce a thrust of 7,607 kN (kiloneutons), which takes the spacecraft, weighing 549,000 kg (549 metric tons), to an altitude of 70 km, at which point it separates from the stages on top. The Second Stage has a single Merlin engine optimised to work in vacuum that produces a thrust of 1,200 kN, required to insert the capsule into orbit and accelerate it to 7.8 km/sec before separation. The capsule needs to catch up with the ISS to dock in orbit, which means it needs to accelerate to match the ISS' speed (28,000 km/h or 7.66 km/sec) and altitude (400 km above the surface of Earth).

Falcon 9 at Launch, beginning lift off (counter at 00.00.00) at Launch Complex 40, Kennedy Space Centre (SpaceX, NASA, 13 February 2026).

Top: Separation of second stage and ignition of the single Merlin engine.
Middle: Crew during ascent with Merlin engine at full throttle.
Bottom: Vartical landing of the First Stage (SpaceX, NASA, 13 February 2026).

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Weightlessness

To put this into perspective, 1 kiloneuton is equivalent to the force required to lift 100 kg (or 100 littles of water), therefore the first stage can not only lift the Falcon rocket (overcoming Earth’s gravitational force) but accelerate it to 7.66 km/sec and catch the ISS in orbit. This speed is needed to almost break free from Earth’s gravity but not continue into space (to break completely free from Earth’s gravity, an object would need a speed of 11.2 km/sec, known as “Escape Velocity”, at which point it would continue travelling away from Earth without further thrust needed).

To remain in orbit, the ISS needs to travel fast enough to balance-out the centripetal force generated by Earth’s gravity pushing towards the centre of the planet, with an apparent centrifugal force (pushing away from the centre of the Earth) that results from moving very fast horizontally (parallel to Earth’ surface). This balance of forces that depends more on horizontal speed than altitude, is felt by the astronauts onboard the moving vehicle as weightlessness (micro-gravity).

Although “free fall” is a widely recognised and technically correct term for the motion of spacecraft in orbit like ISS, it is somewhat misleading because it implies loss of altitude, when altitude has not changed. “Free falling” in physics refers to an object upon which the only acting force is gravity, regardless of changes in altitude This is because spacecraft move forward fast enough to keep missing their loss of altitude.

The feeling of Weighlessness results from a balance between the Centripetal force induced by Gravity and
a Centrifugal effect induced by Horizontal Acceleration of a spacecraft (Ren@rt, 2026).

Zero-G indicator

Greek deity Gaia, the personification of Earth, entrusts
her son Erichthonios to Athena, goddess of wisdom
(Wikipedia, from Pentelic marble, 100-150 AD
@ Louvre, 2026).

Crew 12’s Zero-G indicator was named “Planet Gaia”, where Gaia refers to a hypothesis formulated by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis in the 1970s that proposes that living organisms interact with inorganic ones to form a synergistic and self-regulating complex system. The name Gaia came from a Greek mythological female that personifies the Earth and is the mother of many deities; her Roman equivalent is Terra.

The indicator was composed by a crocheted planet Earth in the centre, surrounded by four tethered satellites, each selected by a member of the crew: A panda holding a mushroom symbolising the importance of the environment (by Meir); the Moon (made by Hathaway’s daughter); a Banana representing one of the most common fruits in a kitchen and mostly missed at ISS (by Adenot); and Fayaev’s contribution of the symbols "Ш" (the Russian letter for "sh") and "Щ" (sounds "shch"), which are part of the Russian alphabet that represents a connection to his heritage and a mark of his achievement.

Introducing his satellite, Fayaev said: "I chose my part because this particular thing reminds me of a Soviet-era movie I watched as a kid, I challenge you to guess what movie it is". Apparently, the symbols are a tribute to Soviet cultural history and his own roots.

The cinematic link may refer to a famous 1965 Soviet comedy "Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures." In the last of the three stories on the film, these letters are used in a fake robbery plan to mark the position of the guard. That night, the guard is Shurik’s grandmother, but he replaces her so she can baby-sit. Shurik in Russian starts with the same symbol (Шурик), which makes a linguistic joke for native speakers because they sound almost the same.

The remastered version of the movie is presented here as an example of Russian comedy.

Although “Operation Y” starts at 1:00:33, notice that the scene where the corrupt warehouse manager shows a map with the symbols is missing (full duration 1:30:37).

Operation "Y" scene (starts at 1:00:33) of “Operation “Y” and Shurik's Other Adventures”, with Alexander Demyanenko as Shurik.
Directed by Leonid Gaidai, 1965 (1h 30m) (Mosfilm in YouTube, uploaded 2023).

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Russian rocket science

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935). Insert: His spaceship concept
propulsed by an engine burning liquid gas (left), 1883 (Wikipedia, 2026).

The research for Russian Soviet movies yielded a surprising result with the finding of a famous Russian / Soviet movie about space directed by P. Kluschanzew, “Road to the stars” (1957), a biographical dramatization of the life and achievements of Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935), a Russian and Soviet rocket scientist who pioneered astronautic theory.

Tsiolkovsky calculated that to escape the gravitational force of the planet he would need to reach a speed of 8km/sec and that a single rocket would need to carry large amounts of fuel which would be exhausted before reaching the desired speed. Therefore, instead of a single unit he proposed to build a “train of rockets” or rockets in stages. He published a paper that became the basis of modern rocketry and astronautics: Tsiolkovsky K (1903) The Exploration of Cosmic Space by Means of Reaction Devices. Science Review Monthly, Scientific-Philosophical and Literary Magazine, No 5 May.

In his article he designed a rocket where the pilot and copilot would occupy the first section, while the second and third sections held the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen needed to fuel the spacecraft; a concept that holds true today as SpaceX uses liquid oxygen and kerosene to fuel rocket engines.

Watch “Road to the Stars” (1957), featuring G Solowjow as Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. A colourised version remastered by the former German “Volkseigener Betrieb Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft (VEB DEFA)” (People's Owned Enterprise German Film Corporation), which was a state-owned film studio that existed in East Germany between 1946 and 1992 (48m 52sec).

“Road to the Stars” (1957), with English subtitles (karimberdi, YouTube, uploaded 2015) (48m 52sec).

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Crew 12

SpaceX Crew 12 was composed of four astronauts: Commander Jessica Meir, Pilot Jack Hathaway and Mission specialists Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev.

SpaceX Crew 12 (left to right): Andrey Fedyaev, Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway and Sophie Adenot (SpaceX, NASA, 2026).

1. Jessica Meir, NASA, Commander (2nd spaceflight)

Dr Jessica Meir has a PhD in Marine Biology studying diving physiology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California in 2009. She graduated with a Master of Space Studies from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France and studied Biology at Brown University. She was a post-doctoral researcher in comparative physiology and worked as assistant professor of anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School, Boston.

In 2000, Meir worked for as an experiment support scientist for Lockheed Martin supporting physiological experiments on the Space Shuttle and ISS. In 2002 she joined NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) in Expedition 4, which lasted 5 days. In 2009 Meir was a semi-finalist for the selection of astronaut group 20 in 2009 and selected for Group 21 in 2013 and completed the 2-year astronaut training. In 2016 she participated in the European Space Agency (ESA) “Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills” (CAVES) training course to prepare astronauts for long-duration spaceflight operations in a space-analogue cave environment (unfamiliar environment, permanent darkness, lack of time reference, sensory deprivation, isolation, limited privacy, limited resources and hygiene, high autonomy, real physical danger, limited rescue capabilities).

In 2019 Meir was assigned to Expedition 61/62 as flight engineer and launched in September of that year. During her mission at ISS she performed her first spacewalk with American colleague Christina Koch marking the first Extra-Vehicular Activity by two women. Meir returned to the surface in early 2020.

In December 2025 Meir was assigned to Expedition 74/75 joining SpaceX Crew 12 to deliver her to the ISS.

As a Jewish Swedish American, she was the first Swedish woman in Space (Expedition 61 in 2020) and second Swedish person after ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang (shuttle mission STS-116 in 2006). For her first stay at ISS, she brought an Israeli flag and socks with stars of Davis and Menorahs that she showed on social media to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah on 22 December 2019.

Commander Jessica Meir, was part of Expedition 61/62, NEEMO and CAVES (SpaceX, NASA, 2026).

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2. Jack Hathaway, NASA, Pilot (1st spaceflight)

Commander Jack Hathaway is an American Test Pilot who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. Upon graduation in 2004, he was deployed to various Air Fighter posts and graduated from the British Empire Test Pilot’s School at Boscombe Down, Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. He flew as part of Strike Fighter Squadrons 14, 136 and 81.

During his professional life he accumulated 2,500 flight hours in more than 30 types of aircraft with 39 combat missions and more than 500 carrier landings.

In late 2021 he was selected as a NASA astronaut in group 23 and begun training the following year, finishing in 2024.

Pilot Jack Hathaway was part of Strike Fighter Squadrons 14, 136 and 81 (SpaceX, NASA, 2026).

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3. Sophie Adenot, ESA, Mission specialist (1st spaceflight)

Colonel Sophie Adenot is a French engineer and helicopter pilot for the French Air and Space Force. She was inspired by her grandfather, who was an aircraft mechanic. She attended a secondary school dedicated to girls directly descending from Legion of Honour recipients. She studied engineering at the Superior Institute of Aeronautics and Space “Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO)”, specialising in flight dynamics. After graduating in 2004, she earned a Master of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She worked in Man-Vehicle Laboratory for her thesis on Vestibular Systems and adaptation to artificial gravity, which contributes to centrifuge training of astronauts.

She worked for Airbus Helicopters focusing on design of cockpits, particularly the H225 model. In 2005 she joined the French Air Force where she flew helicopter search and rescue missions until 2012. She was transferred to the High Authority Transport Squadron in charge of transporting heads of state. She entered the Test Pilot school in 2017 and graduated the next year as the first female test pilot in France. Within the Air Force Adenot became Lieutenant in 2006, Captain in 2009, Commandant in 2014, Lieutenant Colonel in 2020 and Colonel in 2023. She logged 3000 hours of flight in 22 different helicopters and holds a military parachute license, and light aircraft and glider licenses.

Sophie was awarded the French National Order of Merit (Chevalier) in 2022 and the medal of the French National Assembly honouring her actions as an inspiring ambassador for gender equality in sciences in 2021. She was distinguished as a Young Leader by the French American Foundation in 2020.

Adenot applied to the European Space Agency in 2008 but was unsuccessful. In her second attempt in 2022 she was selected from a pool of 22,500 applicants. In 2024 she selected to join SpaceX Crew-12 to the ISS.

At ISS, Adenot joined Expedition 74 and perform more than 200 experiments. She also brought supplemental food (lobster bisque and foie gras) prepared by Anne-Sophie Pic, one of the very few female chefs to win three Michelin stars for her restaurant Maison Pic, in the south of France. Lobster bisque is a French soup made of crustaceans (can be lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp or crawfish) and is one of the most popular soups around the world. Foie gras is a French delicacy made of Duck or Goose liver and has led to some controversy in the past as described below.

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Colonel Sophie Adenot, engineer and helicopter test pilot with the French Air Force.
She brought two typical French dishes to share with ISS expedition 74/75, lobster bisque (left) and foie gras (right) (ESA, SpaceX, NASA, 2026).

In the following interview, Sophie Adenot talks about her inspirations and career and how it led to become an astronaut.

Interview with Sophie Adenot, about her career as a new ESA Astronaut Class 2022 (ESA, 2022) (5m 33s).

On the French video that follows, Sophie Adenot, introduces herself as the first French helicopter test-pilot and explains that she always loved planes and helicopters but never thought she could fly one. Her main inspiration came from her grandfather, an aircraft mechanic who fostered her curiosity. She also admired pioneering women in aviation like the first French female helicopter pilot Valérie André (1922 - 2025), and she thought that after all they are not super-women, they just take their work seriously and there is no reason why she could not do the same. There are barriers along the way, but the biggest is the one you create yourself. Dreams always seem to be inaccessible, but they can be reached by building yourself block by block. She began with high-level science, and then engineering. Following work with Airbus helicopters, she had to do a lot of preparation to apply to the Air Force. In the 15 years as an engineer, she had many operational jobs like working as presidential transport in Paris. Today, it is a thrill to see the President arrive in a cockpit that she designed as an engineer.

When she tests an aircraft, she knows that there were many engineers that put much love to give her a machine that works at its best. A machine like that is not just the work of pilots and engineers but includes many people on the ground and testing means finding the limits of the machines, the teams and the whole system.

Sometimes, when working with colleagues, she feels that they think that she doesn’t belong there as a woman; instead of getting angry, she channels this energy into positive energy to develop her skills, they are all challenges that she puts on herself.

There are two criteria that are important for a woman: Achieve financial autonomy to have freedom to do something fulfilling and gain intellectual autonomy to have the liberty of doing the jobs she wants to do. (French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, 2022) (5m 40s).

Leur Génération Égalité - Sophie Adenot. Interview in French (French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, 2022) (5m 40s).

Foie gras controversy

The controversy surrounding the French delicacy “foie gras” arises from its classification as a “morally objectionable dish” in some countries. This is largely because the main ingredient, fatty liver, is obtained from a special breed of geese or ducks that are force-fed during rearing to induce an abnormal excess in liver weight by as much as 10 times, before the bird is culled.

Although this method of overfeeding, known as “Gavage”, was practiced in Egypt since 2500 BC, in modern times it has been strongly criticised by animal protection agencies, claiming animal cruelty, which has led to banning of its production and importation in many regions, e.g., Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, India, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

“Gavage”: Geese overfeeding practiced in Egypt since 2,500 BC. Insert: Modern force-feeding in France (Wikipedia, 2026).

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4. Andrey Fedyaev, Roscosmos, Mission specialist (2nd spaceflight)

Major Andrey Fedyaev is a Russian engineer specialised in air transport and Air Traffic Control. He joined the Russian Air Force and retired in 2013 after logging 500 hours of flight on Russian Aircraft.

Fedyaev studied at Balashov Military Aviation School, graduating in 2004 before joining the Air Force, where he served under the 317th mixed aviation segment.

In 2022 he was assigned to SpaceX Crew-6 that launched on 02 March 2023 participating as part of expedition 68/69. He became the second Russian Cosmonaut to fly Crew Dragon.

This time, Fedyaev joined Expedition 74/75 at ISS meeting two of his compatriots, Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergey Mikayev. He was called to join Crew 12 in December 2025 as a replacement of the original member from Roscosmos, Oleg Artemyev (see controversy below).

Mission Specialist, Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev was part of ISS expedition 68/69 and Crew 6 (SpaceX, NASA, Roscosmos, 2026).

Cosmonaut Artemyev controversy

The original representative of Roscosmos in Crew 12 was Oleg Artemyev, an experienced cosmonaut who participated in ISS Expeditions 39/40 (2014), 55/56 (2018) and 66/67 (2022).

Born in Latvia, he studied Engineering and Physics in Estonia and Moscow, served for the Soviet Army and worked in extravehicular activity equipment development at Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation “Energia” (RSC Energia) in Moscow.

Artemyev prepared for the mission but in December 2025 he was abruptly removed due to “transition to other work”, according to Roscosmos.

Later revelations by investigative journalists from “The Insider”, claimed that he was expelled from the United States accused of violating the “International Traffic in Arms Regulations”. During visits to SpaceX facility at Hawthorne, California he photographed SpaceX engines, documents and other technologies with his phone and then “exported” that information. In late November an interagency investigation was initiated, resulting in his removal from the crew.

Animation dramatizing the filming of a factory (Catgasoline,YouTube, 2026) (8sec).

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Crew 12 - Science at ISS

Crew 12 conducted a variety of science experiments during their 8-month mission at ISS. The main experiments included:

1 Pneumonia-causing bacteria

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an infectious disease of the lungs that leads to increased risk of heart disease. The bacteria that typically causes this infection is Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn), which has found to become more virulent in microgravity. This enhanced activity in space will allow the observation of an exaggerated cardiac cell response not detectable on Earth.

A cell model chosen for this project consisted of engineered heart tissue cells generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells. In the experiment, samples of these living tissues will be infected with the bacteria, some will be exposed to a protecting substance (necroptosis inhibitor) and both will be compared to untouched samples. Comparing the results with the same experiment conducted simultaneously on Earth will help determine the aggressivity of the bacteria and the effect of the protecting substance.

The experiment prepared on Earth will be handled using the Multi Use Variable-G Platform (MVP) instrument that allows conducting experiments in a close environment keeping the crew unexposed to the dangerous bacteria. In the future, this study will help understand and manage health and infectious diseases in space.

Pneumonia study (top from left): MVP instrument. X-Ray showing a pneumonia infection at the top of the right lung (circled).
Electron microscopic image of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Bottom: Preparation of culture media on Earth (NASA, CDC, 2026).

2. Venous flow: Spaceflight thrombosis and risk factors

Venous blood flow anomalies have been identified in crew members aboard the ISS in the past. These changes can lead to blood clots (thrombosis) found in the Left Internal Jugular Vein (IJV), a very accessible blood vessel in the left side of the neck that drains blood from the head. On Earth, gravity assists in the flow of blood from the neck back to the heart.

In addition, thrombi have been identified in a small number of crew members that were at ISS for at least 1 month, suggesting that blood flow can be severely slowed down in microgravity. Another common sign is congestion of the face and head during visits to ISS.

As a result, NASA instituted pre-flight venous flow surveillance with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), ultrasound and blood analysis. Crew 12 will monitor venous flow taking blood samples and ultrasound images of the IJV. This will help understand the clotting mechanism and promote safer travel of crew members in the future.

The composite image below shows on the top-left, an ultrasound image of the neck, where the muscle layer is right under the skin at the top; This muscle (sternocleidomastoid, SCM), is superficial to the Internal Jugular Vein (IJV, blue), which in turn is superficial to the Carotid Artery (CA, red). In the anatomical figure, the SCM was made transparent to see the vein and under it, the artery of the neck.

Ultrasound probe applied to the left side of the neck to obtain images of structures and flow.
Top left: Sample of ultrasound showing the SCM muscle closer to the surface, the IJV lies immediately deep, and the CA even deeper in the neck.
Right: Anatomical position of the IJV and CA (SCM transparent) (Adobe Stock, Google, 2026).

3. IVGEN Mini: Intravenous fluid generation

The Intravenous Fluid Generation – Mini (IVGEN Mini) is a miniaturised system to use potable water to make saline solution on the ISS. The experiment examines the effects of microgravity on the system and confirming it can be operated by the crew with minimal resources and technical support. The system can remove bacteria, toxins and organic carbons from processed water recovered from human fluids at ISS, this is sterilised before adding Sodium Chloride to make a 0.9% saline solution that is stored in 1-litre sterile bags, ready for intravenous use. This machine can make 20 litres of solution in batches of 10 L every 3 months.

This instrument is the miniature version of the Fluid Generation Module (FGM) for the IVGEN system flown and tested aboard ISS in 2010. The unit was installed in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (see image below).

The success of this system will allow the crew to generate intravenous fluid on demand in case they run out of terrestrial fluid that usually expires after 16 months. This will be an essential development for long duration space exploration.

The current source of intravenous fluid (IV) is part of the Advanced Life Support Pack (ALSP), a unit that contains medications, bandages, bladder catheterisation items, intravenous catheterisation and physical exam hardware. This emergency supply pack is designed to support the crew for 6 months and is resupplied after each crew rotation. The pack contains IV fluids: 0.5 L bags of Dextrose solution and 0.5 and 1 L bags of 0.9% Normal Saline solution, making a total of 4.5 L. In addition, there is the HMS Ancillary Support Pack (HASP) that contains mainly solutions and IV instruments.

Top from left: IVGEN as 3D design and then the built version at Marshall Space Flight Centre (MSFC).
The red circle shows the installed FGM or IVGEN-Mini; this module seen open next.
Bottom from left: Microgravity Science Glovebox at ISS, and Medical Kit units ALPS and HASP containing IV fluids (NASA, 2026).

4. Veg-06 Plant Growth Systems (PGSs)

Exploring beneficial plant-microbe interactions and their efficacy in the ISS spaceflight environment is a model study.

This experiment examines the interaction between plants and microbes that facilitate nitrogen fixation. Understanding this in microgravity will help improve understanding the growth of plants away from Earth. Nitrogen fixing pants on Earth include fava beans, green beans, soybeans, field and garden peas, and peanuts. This is an opportunity to recycle organically bound carbon and nitrogen sequestered in these plants. Subsequent recycling of unused plant parts and organics derived from human and animal consumption waste will enable the generation of fertilisers for a sustainable plant growth over multiple generations.

The astronauts will install the Veg-06 PGSs in both Veggie Units at ISS. To initiate growth, water will be added though an automatic feeder, 3 bags will have simply water, and one will also have nutrient solution and Rhizobium (a nitrogen-fixing Gram-negative soil bacteria). Plants will be harvested on days 28 and 40, rapidly dry-frozen and stored at -80^oC for return.

Veggie unit at ISS and alfalfa plants inoculated with nitrogen-fixing Sinorhizobium meliloti bacteria growing on a replica of the Veggie unit on Earth (NASA, 2026).

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot will also participate in around 200 experiments, including:

5. EuroSuit

A prototype intra-vehicular space suit tested by Sophie Adenot and developed by the French National Space Agency (Centre national d'études spatiales - CNES), Spartan Space, MEDES and Decathlon.

The EuroSuit can be put-on (donned) and removed (doffed) in less than 2 minutes, ensuring safety in emergencies. It also has custom-fit ergonomics, a lattice-structured helmet, expanded mobility, user friendly sealing zippers and adjustable length.

EuroSuit prototype to be tested by Sophie Adenot (ESA, Spartan-Space, 2025).

6. EchoFinder

EchoFinder is a device that uses augmented reality and AI to help astronauts perform medical ultrasounds without guidance from Earth. This instrument is used to determine effects of weightlessness on the heart and circulatory system and may become helpful to troubleshoot medical emergencies at ISS.

Sophie Adenot at the demonstration of EchoFinder, an ultrasound instrument to scan the heart and circulatory system at ISS (CNES, 2025).

7. PhysioTool

PhysioTool is an instrument to take functional measurements of muscular and neuronal activity to study the loss of conditioning and cognitive impairment induced by microgravity.

The circulatory system on Earth has evolved to adjust to the constant resistance of gravity, when this factor is missing, this system readjusts with loss of power to the detriment of other body systems. This study will help prepare humans for long duration space exploration.

Sophie Adenot at the demonstration of PhysioTool, a system that monitors muscular and neurological changes in microgravity (CNES, 2025).

8. ChlorISS

ChlorISS is a botanical experiment that observes the impact of light and gravity on the growth of the plants: “Arabidopsis thaliana” (known as Thale cress or mouse-ear cress is a weed used as model for organism studies due to its genetic simplicity and endurance, growing easily in small spaces) and “Brassica rapa” (known as Mizuna seed, turnip seed or oilseed rape, it is used to make rapeseed oil and as bird-food). The seeds are planted in 12 Petri dishes contained in a translucent box.

The experiment will take place over a ten-day period. On the first day, Sophie will inject water using a syringe to irrigate the seeds by capillary action. For the first five days, light will only come from one side of the box. She will then take photos and change the direction of the lighting for the remaining five days to observe how the plants adapt their growth.

Thousands of French school children on Earth will reproduce the same protocol to compare the effects of gravity.

Sophie Adenot at the demonstration of ChlorISS, a box containing plant seeds for an experiment replicated by school children in France (CNES, 2025).

9. European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D)

E4D is an advanced exercise system designed to maintain muscular and bone mass while living in microgravity. This modular system simulates the force of gravity of different environments, from Earth to Mars and will be an addition to the existing exercising tools that astronauts use every day for at least two hours.

The instrument will arrive at ISS in April 2026 for Adenot to install; she has tested the unit on Earth during visits to the space research labs of the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.

Sophie Adenot testing the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D);
demonstrating exercises that replicate dead-weight lifting and rowing (CNES, 2025).

Sophie Adenot testing E4D; demonstrating pull-down exercises for shoulder abductors and elbow extensors (CNES, 2025).

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Launch interviews

The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying SpaceX Crew-12 was broadcast live on 13 February 2026. Docking and the welcome of Crew 12 was broadcast the next day. Both events were hosted by a combination of staff from SpaceX and NASA.

• SpaceX: Kate Tice, Quality Engineering Manager and Jessie Anderson, Senior Production Manager.
• NASA Communications: Derrol Nail, Sandra Jones and Anna Schneider.

SpaceX Crew-12 launch broadcast hosts: Derrol Nail interviewing guest astronaut Doug Wheelock, Jessie Anderson and Sandra Jones.
Bottom: Kate Tice and Anna Schneider, 13 & 14 February 2026 (SpaceX, NASA, 2026).

Key points mentioned during the interviews presented prior to launch:

1. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said: “The agency intends to use the ISS for as long as possible”. Mr Isaacman mentioned that although this was the first time the launch complex was busy with two missions at the same time, it is only the beginning because NASA expects to have more frequent launches as space exploration builds up. Next to launch in March 2026 will be the Artemis 2 mission, which will orbit the Moon and return. Future missions will land on the Moon.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman interviews prior to SpaceX Crew-12 launch on 13 February 2026 (SpaceX, NASA, 2026).

2. First ESA female astronaut from France, Claudie Haigneré, an inspirational figure for Sophie Adenot (2nd French astronaut in space) said: “It was hugely emotional to see Sophie in this successful launch … Sometimes girls or boys need some turning point to make their dream come alive. I am happy if I have been that for Sophie. It is wonderful to see today the brightness that comes from the past”.

Claudie Haigneré interviewed after SpaceX Crew-12 launch on 13 February 2026 (SpaceX, NASA, 2026).

3. Daniel Forrestel, Ground and Mission Operations Manager was responsible of preparing Launch Complex 40 for this mission Although SpaceX has been using this complex for years, this time they upgraded many areas including the addition of the crew access arm. Operations were seamless despite hosting simultaneously the Artemis 2 mission, that was being prepared in the same area. That was the first time two missions were ready and running at the same time.

Daniel was one of the first NASA employees to take a reward flight with the new administrator Jared Isaacman on his supersonic F5.

Daniel Forrestel interviewed before SpaceX Crew-12 launch on 13 February 2026. Insert: Daniel onboard Isaacman’s F5 jet (SpaceX, NASA, 2026).

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Launch and Docking Broadcasts

Watch SpaceX Crew-12 Launch. Full broadcast on 13 February 2026 (2h 38m).

NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Launch (NASA, 13 February 2026) (2h 38m).

Watch SpaceX Crew-12 Docking to ISS on 14 February 2026 (4h 29m).

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Arrival & Welcome Remarks (NASA, 14 February 2026) (4h 29m).

Amazing images Crew-12 Launch and docking, 13-14 February 2026.

SpaceX Crew-12 Falcon 9 rocket exhaust plume (SpaceX, 13 February 2026).

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REFERENCES

» Cite-espace (2026) Actu spatiale: le récap de la semaine #11. Toulous, Cité de l'espace [Online]. Available at Cite-espace.com. Accessed: 18 March 2026.
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» Cite-espace (2026) Sophie Adenot et l’effet gyroscopique. Toulous, Cité de l'espace [Online]. Available at Cite-espace.com. Accessed: 18 March 2026.
» Cite-espace (2026) Un concours de poésie avec Sophie Adenot. Toulous, Cité de l'espace [Online]. Available at Cite-espace.com. Accessed: 18 March 2026.
» CollectSpace (2026) SpaceX Crew-12 tethers to Earth with 'Planet Gaia' zero-g indicator. collect Space, 13 February 2026 [Online]. Available at collectSpace.com. Accessed: 20 February 2026.
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» Gohd C (2019) Astronaut Celebrates Hanukkah from Space with Festive Socks. Space.com, News [Online]. Available at Space.com. Accessed: 15 February 2026.
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== END of SpaceX-NASA Crew 12 Launch – Friday 13 February 2026 ==