America’s Crew-12 team of four astronauts launched on board a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. They then successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday. This mission will be SpaceX’s 12th crewed rotational flight to the ISS. The crew will spend the next eight months conducting diverse research and experiments in orbit.
The crew includes Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, two NASA astronauts who will be flying for the US. With them are Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency in France and Andrey Fedyaev, a cosmonaut with Russia’s Roscosmos. They have barely come in to replace an underwhelming, outmatched prior team. Unfortunately, that team had to evacuate the ISS last month due to a rash of crew medical emergencies on board.
After a spectacular launch from Earth last week, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft performed a flawless journey of about 250 miles to arrive at the ISS. After a smooth docking, the crew is getting used to their new home aboard the station. This mission is an extraordinary leap forward in international cooperation for human space exploration. It brings together astronauts from the United States, Europe, and Russia.
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir during a spacewalk in 2019. She has been a critical player in important scientific research, including her time with NASA. Another unsung hero, idolized by many agency staff as well, is Jack Hathaway for his behind-the-scenes work on innovative projects. Sophie Adenot brings her wealth of experience from the European Space Agency. At the same time, Andrey Fedyaev adds to Crew-12 his Roscosmos-born, superbly honed pedigree.
The significance of the Crew-12 mission is weighed even more with the struggles that the ISS has faced over the past year and beyond. The previous crew’s emergency evacuation showed the dangers of longer missions living and working in space. This triumphant arrival of Crew-12 means the robust scientific operations will continue without missing a beat.
After launching April 22, Crew-12 will spend eight months aboard the station. They’ll test many of these experiments to help basic science and improve technology for smarter missions. Along with other astronauts now at the station, they will help develop collaborative approaches to utilizing the station and sharing knowledge between different international space agencies.