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International Space Station

Viewing Posts from February 2026

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    Crew-12: Falcon 9 First Stage Returns

    Image shows the flames of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket landing at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Photo credit: NASA

    The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has completed its descent and landed inside the Space Launch Complex 40 perimeter at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. As previously mentioned, this marks the first time SpaceX has launched and landed a booster from the same launch complex in Florida. On Jan. 30, […]

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    Crew-12: Max Q, Main Engine Cutoff, Stage Separation

    SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket reached Max-Q, the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket. Following this, first stage main engine cutoff occurred, and the rocket’s first and second stages have separated.

    The rocket’s first-stage booster is scheduled to return to Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida — marking the first time SpaceX has launched and landed a booster from the same launch complex at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

    Next, the Falcon 9’s second-stage engine will ignite to carry Crew-9 and the Dragon spacecraft closer to the International Space Station.

    NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Launches

    NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission lifted off at 5:15 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, are experiencing 2 g as SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket go through a […]

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    Crew 12: Fueling Underway for Rocket

    A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Dragon spacecraft on top stands vertical on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 launch.

    Fueling of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has begun. Loading of rocket grade kerosene liquid oxygen into the rocket’s first stage is underway, and second-stage fueling will begin in a few minutes. Once fueling is complete, the Dragon spacecraft will switch to internal power, the command flight computer will begin final prelaunch checks, propellant tanks […]

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    Crew 12: Access Arms Retracts

    Image shows a night time sky with a white and black SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and spacecraft in Florida. Photo credit: NASA

    The crew access arm has retracted, and the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launch escape system is armed. This system allows NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 crew members to escape safely in the unlikely event of an anomaly from liftoff until they reach orbit — a timespan of roughly 12 minutes.

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    Crew-12: ‘Go’ for Fueling

    Image shows the night time sky with a SpaceX white and black rocket for NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026

    The launch team has verified that controllers can soon begin loading propellants — liquid oxygen and refined, rocket-grade kerosene called RP-1 — into the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s first and second stages.  The SpaceX rocket and Dragon spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, commander, and Jack Hathaway, pilot, along with mission specialists ESA (European […]

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    SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft Hatch Closed

    Image shows a closeup view of the NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Photo credit: NASA

    NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 team is secure in their seats as the SpaceX crew closed the hatch to the Dragon spacecraft, with less than two hours remaining before liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft previously flew NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 and NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, as well […]

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    NASA+ Coverage Begins of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Mission

    A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon spacecraft atop, is vertical at the launch pad of Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

    NASA just expanded its coverage of this morning’s launch, and the live broadcast of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission is airing live on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media. Today’s liftoff is targeted for 5:15 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 […]

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    NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Science Objectives

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    During Crew-12’s eight-month long mission aboard the International Space Station, the crew will conduct a variety of science experiments aimed at advancing research and technology for missions to the Moon and Mars, and to benefit humanity on Earth. The crew will study how pneumonia-causing bacteria can lead to long-term heart damage, research on how physical […]

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    NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Secured in Spacecraft

    From left to right, Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Mier, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot sit inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as they prepare to launch to the International Space Station at 5:15 a.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

    NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, commander, and Jack Hathaway, pilot, along with mission specialists ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, boarded their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Over the next 45 minutes, the crew will conduct communication checks with mission control, inspect their spacesuits for any leaks, and rotate their seats into […]

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