Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Feb 15: Four new crew members, including two astronauts from the United States, received a warm welcome after successfully arriving at the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, bringing the orbiting laboratory back to its standard seven-member strength.
The spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev docked at 3:16 pm ET. The team, collectively known as Crew-12, was greeted by the existing members on board.
“They all arrived safe and sound, and we have been waiting for this moment for a very long time,” said Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Roscosmos, who was already stationed aboard the ISS.
The spacecraft, named Dragon, was launched into orbit early Friday morning aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
“We are so excited to be here and to get to work. We did it. We're here. We love you,” Meir said after floating into the station and greeting the crew.
Adenot described the journey as thrilling. “That was quite a ride, but very fun. The first time we looked at the Earth was, wow, mind-blowing. The Earth is so beautiful from up there, and literally, we see no lines, no borders,” she said.
The new arrivals reached an unusually quiet space station. They were initially scheduled to overlap with the outgoing Crew-11 team, but that group returned to Earth early on January 14 due to a medical issue. NASA did not disclose further details, citing privacy reasons.
Following Crew-11’s departure, only NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Russian cosmonauts — Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev — remained aboard the ISS.
With Crew-12 now docked, the station has returned to its normal occupancy of seven astronauts and cosmonauts.
“You just float in and it’s just such a cool experience. It’s been a great trip with my great Crew-12 friends,” Hathaway said.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 5:15 a.m. ET Friday after a two-day delay caused by high winds along the flight path. NASA routinely monitors weather conditions to ensure the safety of astronauts, particularly in case an emergency escape and landing becomes necessary.
A recent Falcon 9 anomaly during an uncrewed Starlink satellite deployment mission also prompted a review before clearance was granted for Crew-12’s launch. The February 2 incident led SpaceX and the US Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily pause launches. Operations resumed after investigations, and a subsequent mission proceeded successfully.
NASA officials said the temporary understaffing aboard the ISS did not result in major operational issues.
“We’re looking forward to some extra helping hands, but we’ll launch when we’re ready,” said Dina Contella, deputy manager of NASA’s ISS Program at the Johnson Space Center.
Crew-12 is expected to remain aboard the ISS for around eight months. During their stay, they will conduct a range of scientific experiments, including research on food production in space, studies on how microgravity affects blood flow, investigations into pneumonia-causing bacteria, and other projects aimed at supporting future lunar and Mars missions.
The mission marks the first spaceflight for Hathaway and Adenot, the second for Fedyaev, and the return to orbit for Meir, who previously spent 205 days aboard the ISS starting in July 2019. During that mission, Meir and fellow NASA astronaut Christina Koch made history by conducting the agency’s first all-female spacewalks. Koch is currently assigned to NASA’s Artemis II mission around the Moon.
Reflecting on the broader significance of the ISS partnership, Meir highlighted the spirit of global cooperation that sustains the orbiting outpost.
“It is a promise kept decades in the making, of five nations, sustained by trust and partnership, empowered by science, innovation and curiosity,” she said. “As we look back at Earth from these windows, we are reminded that cooperation is not just possible, it is essential. Up here, there are no borders and hope is universal.”