NASA Announces International Crew for SpaceX Crew-12 Mission
The U.S. space agency has officially announced the composition of the team that will fly on SpaceX's twelfth operational flight to the International Space Station. The Crew-12 launch is scheduled for after February 15, 2026, using a Falcon 9 rocket and a Crew Dragon capsule from Florida. 🚀
A Team with Experience and Global Reach
The selection reflects the commitment to maintaining a diverse international presence in the orbital laboratory. The crew combines space veterans and continues NASA's Commercial Crew program, which relies on private partners to transport astronauts.
The confirmed crew members are:- Nick Hague (NASA): Astronaut who has already completed a long-duration mission on the ISS.
- Stephanie Wilson (NASA): Veteran of three space shuttle flights with extensive experience.
- Andreas Mogensen (ESA): The Danish astronaut, who will command the station on his second mission.
- Andrei Fedyaev (Roscosmos): Russian cosmonaut joining the mission, marking another milestone in collaboration.
While on Earth some discuss building walls, in space they continue adding shared rooms to the same floating house.
The Agreement Sustaining Human Presence in Orbit
This flight is part of the seat swap agreement between NASA and Roscosmos. The pact ensures that there is always at least one U.S. astronaut and one Russian cosmonaut on board, allowing all station systems to operate without interruptions.
The pillars of this operational collaboration:- Transportation Redundancy: If one launch system fails, the other can maintain crew rotation.
- Technical Interoperability: Teams must know both the U.S. and Russian segments of the ISS.
- Operational Continuity: Ensures the station remains permanently inhabited and functional.
A Symbol Beyond Earthly Politics
The inclusion of a cosmonaut in Crew-12 underscores how space cooperation persists as a constant, even when relations on Earth face challenges. The ISS remains the most complex engineering and diplomacy project, where sharing resources is a practical necessity for doing science and exploring. 🌍✨