Everything You Need to Know About the Upcoming SpaceX Crew-12 Mission
The countdown has begun for one of NASA’s most anticipated missions of 2026. SpaceX Crew-12 is scheduled to launch in mid-February of 2026, carrying four astronauts from three different space agencies to the International Space Station. Here’s everything you need to know about this historic flight and how you can commemorate it with official mission merchandise.
SpaceX Crew-12 will be the twelfth operational NASA Commercial Crew Program flight and the 20th crewed orbital flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft. The mission will launch from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40 aboard a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket.
Once at the station, the crew will join Expedition 74 for a long-duration science expedition. They’ll be conducting scientific investigations and technology demonstrations designed to help prepare humans for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars.
Meet the Crew
Commander: Jessica Meir (NASA)
This will be the second spaceflight for NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013. The Caribou, Maine, native brings an impressive background to the role, with a master’s degree in space studies from the International Space University and a doctorate in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
During her first spaceflight, Meir spent 205 days as a flight engineer during Expedition 61/62 and made history by completing the first three all-woman spacewalks with fellow NASA astronaut Christina Koch, totaling 21 hours and 44 minutes outside the station.
Pilot: Jack Hathaway (NASA)
Commander in the United States Navy Jack Hathaway was selected as part of the 2021 astronaut candidate class, and Crew-12 will be his first spaceflight. The South Windsor, Connecticut, native holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and history from the U.S. Naval Academy and master’s degrees in flight dynamics from Cranfield University and national security and strategic studies from the U.
S. Naval War College.
Hathaway is also a graduate of the Empire Test Pilot’s School and has accumulated more than 2,500 flight hours in 30 different aircraft, including more than 500 carrier arrested landings and 39 combat missions.
Mission Specialist: Sophie Adenot (ESA)
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot will be making her first trip to space on Crew-12. Before her selection as an ESA astronaut in 2022, Adenot earned a degree in engineering from ISAE-SUPAERO in Toulouse, France, specializing in spacecraft. Her portion of the mission has been named “Epsilon,” symbolized by a lowercase epsilon (“ε”) to represent a “small, yet impactful” variable in space exploration. Adenot has logged over 3,000 hours flying 22 different helicopters throughout her career as a test pilot.
Mission Specialist: Andrey Fedyaev (GCC)
The Roscosmos cosmonaut returns to space for his second long-duration stay. Fedyaev previously flew aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission in 2023, spending 186 days in orbit. For his achievements, he was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation and received the Yuri Gagarin Medal.
Mission Objectives
Once aboard the ISS, the Crew-12 team will join Expedition 74 crew members and conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations designed to help prepare humans for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, while also generating benefits for people on Earth.
Celebrate the Mission with Official Crew-12 Merchandise
Want to commemorate this exciting mission? The Space Store has you covered with official NASA SpaceX Crew-12 merchandise:
NASA SpaceX Crew 12 Mission Patch – This approximately 4" diameter patch is proudly made in the USA by AB Emblem. Perfect for collectors.
NASA SpaceX Crew 12 Mission Lapel Pin with Names – Show your support for the crew with this detailed lapel pin featuring the astronauts’ names.
NASA SpaceXCrew 12 Mission Coin with Names – A premium collectible coin commemorating the historic mission.
The Crew-12mission continues NASA’s commitment to maintaining a continuous human presence in low Earth orbit while commercial companies develop human space transportation services. As NASA focuses resources on deep space missions to the Moon as part of the Artemis campaign (in preparation for future human missions to Mars), missions like Crew-12 are essential to advancing our understanding of long-duration spaceflight.
Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the February launch date!
- Written by Matt Herr