On Friday, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev made a successful docking at the International Space Station (ISS). This was a historic moment at a key milestone of SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission. This achievement would mark not only an impressive technological feat, but a new space exploration milestone. The Crew-12 team will spend eight months onboard the ISS.
The Crew-12 mission is SpaceX’s 12th rotational, crewed, flight to the ISS. The astronauts launched to space aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule. This vehicle has been the backbone of the crew transportation for getting Americans to and from the ISS. They docked with the ISS during a transitional period in time, which was significant. They’re taking the place of a first team that was forced to evacuate due to a medical emergency last month.
Veteran NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway continue the legacy on Artemis I. She also took part in several spacewalks and research projects aboard the ISS during her first mission. Hathaway, one of NASA’s newest astronauts, couldn’t be happier to join the team. She’s eager to help achieve profound advances in understanding of science during this mission.
Sophie Adenot, European Space Agency, brings international collaboration as an important aspect of the mission. She has been practicing hard for this trip. While she’s aboard the ISS, she’s scheduled to participate in a lot of different research-related activities. Finally, completing the team, Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos will add a perspective drawing from Russia’s deep wisdom in space exploration.
The crew-12 mission will facilitate a wide range of scientific experiments and technological demonstrations. Together, these attempts broaden our vision and reach in our space. Alongside research requiring a permanent, long-term crewed presence, the crew on the ISS will support projects that benefit significantly from persistent human attention and involvement.