Europe   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Space Exploration & Science Missions   Human Spaceflight & Space Stations   Commercial Space Industry (New Space)   Space Policy & International Cooperation   NASA  

SpaceX Crew‑12 launches Dragon Freedom; multinational crew docks at ISS to begin ESA εpsilon mission

SpaceX's Crew‑12 launched Feb. 13 and delivered NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev to the ISS; Dragon Freedom docked Feb. 14 at 20:15 GMT, beginning ESA's εpsilon mission as the four joined Expedition 74 for long‑duration science.

Discovered 2026-02-13T04:30:55.464563-08:00 | 2026-02-13T04:30:55.464563-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • The four‑person, multinational Crew‑12 officially began onboard operations when Dragon Freedom docked Feb. 14 at 20:15 GMT and the astronauts joined Expedition 74, continuing a steady cadence of ISS long‑duration science missions (crew confirmed in December).
  • The flight underscores NASA's operational reliance on commercial crew vehicles to sustain station rotations and science timelines amid constrained international launch capacity (NASA accelerating Dragon resupply after Baikonur damage).
  • This mission arrives as partners prepare the ISS for a planned end of operations around 2030, making each rotation and science increment increasingly consequential to final‑phase research and handover planning (ISS entering final five planned years).

Reported By

ESA NASA weheadedtomars.com worldairnews.co.za actualidadaeroespacial.com CNN
Sources Tracked
47
First Seen
2026-02-13T04:30:55.464563-08:00
Latest Update
2026-02-18T16:46:27.847722-08:00
Coverage
Space

Sources

Hype groups these reports into one evolving story so you can compare coverage without losing the thread.

Related Coverage