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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev onboard, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission is the twelfth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Meir, Hathaway, Adenot, and Fedyaev launched at 5:15 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to begin a mission aboard the orbital outpost.

After NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev arrive at the space station, they will conduct various experiments and technology demonstrations to benefit life on Earth and in orbit, furthering our journey back to the Moon, to Mars, and beyond.

Four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission launched at 5:15 a.m. EST Friday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled a Dragon spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The spacecraft will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 3:15 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14.

“With Crew-12 safely on orbit, America and our international partners once again demonstrated the professionalism, preparation, and teamwork required for human spaceflight,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “The research this crew will conduct aboard the space station advances critical technologies for deep space exploration while delivering real benefits here on Earth. I’m grateful to the NASA and SpaceX teams whose discipline, rigor, and resilience made today’s launch possible. We undertake these missions with a clear understanding of risk, managing it responsibly so we can continue expanding human presence in low Earth orbit while preparing for our next great leap to the Moon and onward to Mars.”

During Dragon’s flight, SpaceX will monitor a series of automatic spacecraft maneuvers from its mission control center in Hawthorne, California. NASA will monitor space station operations throughout the flight from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA’s live coverage resumes at 1:15 p.m. Saturday on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel with rendezvous, docking, and hatch opening. After docking, the crew will change out of their spacesuits and prepare cargo for offload before opening the hatch between Dragon and the space station’s Harmony module around 5 p.m. NASA also will provide coverage of the welcome ceremony aboard the space station shortly following hatch opening.

Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Meir, Hathaway, Adenot, and Fedyaev will join the Expedition 74 crew, including NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev already aboard the orbiting laboratory, returning the space station to its standard seven crew members complement following the Jan. 14 departure of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission.

During its mission, Crew-12 will conduct scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and to benefit humanity on Earth. Participating crew members will study pneumonia-causing bacteria to improve cardiovascular treatments, on-demand intravenous fluid generation for future space missions, and research on how physical characteristics may affect blood flow during spaceflight. Other experiments include automated plant health monitoring and investigations of plant and nitrogen-fixing microbe interactions to enhance food production in space.

Crew-12 is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which provides reliable access to space, maximizing the use of the station for research and development, and supporting future missions beyond low Earth orbit by partnering with private companies to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Learn more about the agency’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Josh Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov

Steven Siceloff
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov

Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov

NASA’s Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project completed an important step toward using local resources to support human exploration on the Moon. The CaRD team performed integrated prototype testing that used concentrated solar energy to extract oxygen from simulated lunar soil, while confirming the production of carbon monoxide through a solar-driven chemical reaction. 

If deployed on the Moon, this technology could enable the production of propellant using only lunar materials and sunlight, significantly reducing the cost and complexity of sustaining a long-term human presence on the lunar surface. The same downstream systems used to convert carbon monoxide into oxygen can also be adapted to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and methane on Mars.  

The integrated prototype brought together a carbothermal oxygen production reactor developed by Sierra Space, a solar concentrator designed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, precision mirrors produced by Composite Mirror Applications, and avionics, software, and gas analysis systems from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston led project management, systems engineering, testing, and development of key hardware and ground support systems.

Edgeøya, an island in the southeastern part of the Svalbard archipelago, is defined by stark Arctic expanses and rugged terrain. Still, even here—halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole—life persists, from mosses to polar bears. The southern lobe of Stonebreen, a glacier that flows from the Edgeøyjøkulen ice cap into the Barents Sea, gives the landscape a different kind of life. Its ice pulses like a heart.

The apparent heartbeat comes from the ice speeding up and slowing down with the seasons. This animation, based on satellite data collected between 2014 and 2022, shows how fast the glacier’s surface ice moves on average during each month. In winter and spring, the ice flows relatively slowly (pink); by late summer, it races toward the sea at speeds exceeding 1,200 meters per year in places (dark red). In summer 2020, speeds reached as high as 2,590 meters per year (23 feet per day).

In general, summer speedups are caused by meltwater that percolates from the surface down to the base of the glacier, where the ice sits on rock, explained Chad Greene, a glaciologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). “When the base of a glacier becomes inundated with meltwater, water pressure at the base increases and allows the glacier to slide more easily,” he said.

Data for the animation are from the ITS_LIVE project, developed at JPL, which uses an algorithm to detect glacier speed based on surface features visible in optical and radar satellite images. In 2025, Greene and JPL colleague Alex Gardner used ITS_LIVE data to analyze the seasonal variability of hundreds of thousands of glaciers across the planet, including Stonebreen.

Stonebreen is a surging glacier, a type that cycles between stretches of relatively slow movement and sudden bursts of speed when ice can flow several times faster than usual. These surges can last anywhere from months to years. Globally, only about 1 percent of glaciers are surge-type, though in Svalbard, they are relatively widespread.

Before 2023, Stonebreen spent several years surging at high speeds after melting along its front likely destabilized the glacier, according to Gardner. Even during this surging period, the ice followed a seasonal rhythm—speeding up in summer and slowing through the winter—all while continuing its faster overall flow toward the Barents Sea.

Since 2023, however, the glacier has all but slowed to a halt, with only a short stretch in the summer when meltwater causes Stonebreen to glide across the ground. It has entered a phase of quiet, or “quiescence,” which is a normal part of the cycle for surge-type glaciers.  

These seasonal heartbeat-like pulses and longer-term variations in ice flow at Stonebreen and other glaciers worldwide can be explored using the ITS_LIVE app.

Maps courtesy of Chad Greene and Alex Gardner, NASA/JPL, using data from the NASA MEaSUREs project ITS_LIVE. Story by Kathryn Hansen.

References & Resources

• Greene, C. A. and Gardner, A. S. (2025) Seasonal dynamics of Earth’s glaciers and ice sheets. Science, 390, 6776.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2025, December 3) Satellites Detect Seasonal Pulses in Earth’s Glaciers. Accessed February 12, 2026.
• NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2026) ITS_LIVE. Accessed February 12, 2026.
• Noël, B., et al. (2020) Low elevation of Svalbard glaciers drives high mass loss variability. Nature Communications, 11(4597).
• Strozzi, T., et al. (2017) Frontal destabilization of Stonebreen, Edgeøya, Svalbard. The Cryosphere, 11(1) 553–566.

NASA and Vast have signed an order for the sixth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch no earlier than summer 2027 from Florida.

This private astronaut mission marks the company’s first selection to the orbiting laboratory, underscoring NASA’s ongoing investment in fostering a commercial space economy and expanding opportunities for private industry in low Earth orbit.

“Private astronaut missions represent more than access to the International Space Station — they create opportunities for new ideas, companies, and capabilities that further enhance American leadership in low Earth orbit and open doors for what’s next,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “We’re proud to welcome Vast to this growing community of commercial partners. Each new entrant brings unique strengths that fuel a dynamic, innovative marketplace as we advance research and technology and prepare for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”

The mission is expected to spend up to 14 days aboard the space station. A specific launch date will depend on overall spacecraft traffic at the orbital outpost and other planning considerations.

“The International Space Station plays an essential role in shaping the future of low Earth orbit,” said Dana Weigel, manager, International Space Station Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “By hosting private astronaut missions, the station helps accelerate innovation, opens new commercial pathways, and advances research strengthening the foundation of a thriving space economy.”

Vast will submit four proposed crew members to NASA and its international partners for review. Once approved and confirmed, they will train with NASA, international partners, and SpaceX for their flight. The company has contracted with SpaceX as launch provider for transportation to and from the space station.

“Vast is honored to have been selected by NASA for the sixth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station,” said Max Haot, CEO of Vast. “Leveraging the remaining life of the space station with science and research-led commercial crewed missions is a critical part of the transition to commercial space stations and fully unlocking the orbital economy.”

The company will purchase mission services from NASA, including crew consumables, cargo delivery, storage, and other in-orbit resources for daily use. NASA will purchase the capability to return scientific samples that must remain cold during transit back to Earth.

NASA made the selection from proposals received in response to its March 2025 NASA Research Announcement.

Missions aboard the International Space Station, including private astronaut missions, help advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies in the unique microgravity environment. These commercial efforts in low Earth orbit are helping develop capabilities and technologies that could support NASA’s long-term goals for missions beyond low Earth orbit, including deep space exploration to the Moon and eventually to Mars through the agency’s Artemis campaign.

Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-space

-end-

Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Anna Schneider / Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov

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