Article cover: SpaceX Crew 12 (left to right): Roscosmos’ Fedyaev, NASA’s Hathaway and Meir, and ESA’s Adenotfloating 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.
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Updates
14 Feb 2026: Welcome to ISS.14 Feb 2026: Docking to ISS.
Background
Crew 12 Launch - 13 Feb 2026.An epic journey.
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UPDATES
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 the Jessica Meir and Andrey Fedyaev.
Expedition 74 (top, left to right): Kud-Sverchkov, Williams and Mikayev; andarriving Crew 12 (bottom, left to right): Fedyaev, Hathaway, Meir and Adenot (SpaceX, NASA, 14 February 2026).
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
BACKGROUND
SpaceX – NASA’s Crew 12 launch - 13feb2026
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched successfully on Friday 13 February 2026 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Centre. Launch complex 40. The spacecraft carried the Dragon Freedom Capsule that took the four members of Crew-12 to the International Space Station (ISS) to begin an 8-month mission called Epsilon.
Crew 12’s mission “Epsilon” contemplates working at ISS for 8 months.
The flight to lower orbit went uneventfully with the booster returning and landing as expected. Separation from the second stage was followed by a good insertion into orbit and release of Dragon Freedom, the capsule that continued adjusting its course to catch up with the ISS. The pairing of speed was achieved in 24 hours during which the astronauts verified all functions and rested in preparation for docking.
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MORE TO COME (part of the template below).
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District Judge Timothy Kelly, left, swears in Jared Isaacman, right, as the 15th administrator of NASA, as Isaacman’s parents, Donald and Sandra Marie, join on 18 Dec. 2025, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington. (NASA/Bill Ingalls, 2025).
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Isaacman was first nominated by President Trump in January 2024, then his nomination was pulled out at the end of May due to Isaacman’s donations to Democratic candidates and his close relationship with Elon Musk, funder and CEO of SpaceX. Trump’s social media post once described Isaacman as "a blue-blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before".
In an unusual turn, Trump nominated Isaacman again in November, Isaacman posted on “X” "Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity. It will be an honour to serve my country under your leadership".
After a year of uncertainty and temporary leadership that culminated with Sean Duffy as interim administrator, the U.S. Senate passed Isaacman’s second nomination from 04 November with a 67-30 vote, marking a pivotal shift in how the world’s most famous space agency operates. Isaacman is not a traditional bureaucrat; he is a pilot, a philanthropist, and a pioneer who has already personally commanded historic missions into Earth’s orbit.
On his first nomination to the U.S. Senate on the 09 April 2025 session, Isaacman introduced himself and explained his views. The following segment of the Senate session shows his 6-minute presentation at the 54minute mark (the full session lasts 3 hours).
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