SpaceFlightNow confirms SLC-40 for launch and RTLS to the new LZ at SLC-40 (LZ-40?).QuoteA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a four-person crew to the International Space Station on the SpaceX Crew-12 flight. NASA astronaut Jessica Meir will command the mission alongside pilot and fellow NASA astronaut, Jack Hathaway. They are joined by mission specialists Sophie Adenot, a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and Andrey Fedyaev, a Roscosmos cosmonaut. This will be the second flight for Meir and Fedyaev and the first flight for both Hathaway and Adenot. The quartet will conduct a long-duration mission onboard the ISS. Following stage separation, the first stage booster supporting this mission will return to a landing site adjacent to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. [Dec. 19]
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a four-person crew to the International Space Station on the SpaceX Crew-12 flight. NASA astronaut Jessica Meir will command the mission alongside pilot and fellow NASA astronaut, Jack Hathaway. They are joined by mission specialists Sophie Adenot, a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and Andrey Fedyaev, a Roscosmos cosmonaut. This will be the second flight for Meir and Fedyaev and the first flight for both Hathaway and Adenot. The quartet will conduct a long-duration mission onboard the ISS. Following stage separation, the first stage booster supporting this mission will return to a landing site adjacent to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Will this be the first time the SLC-40 landing platform has been used?
Any idea what's the official NASA portrait photo number JSC123456XYZ ?Sophie Adenot EMU
The official mission insignia for NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 missionjsc2025e091193 (Dec. 1, 2025) --- The official mission insignia for NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
New mission, new suit. Pressure suits keep us safe during dynamic events like launch and entry, in case our vehicle were to depressurize for any reason. This year brought a new suit to my closet. Fun fact - our crew will be wearing a new version of the @spacex suit for our Crew-12 mission.
Sounds like a new version of the suit will be used, maybe it's the one Fincke was testing on Crew-11.https://www.instagram.com/p/DSnPUcsjd62/#QuoteNew mission, new suit. Pressure suits keep us safe during dynamic events like launch and entry, in case our vehicle were to depressurize for any reason. This year brought a new suit to my closet. Fun fact - our crew will be wearing a new version of the @spacex suit for our Crew-12 mission.
Thanks 🙏 to all the scientists, medical teams, and coordinators who work so hard to make all this possible. Our combined efforts will help advance the treatment of diseases.
Introducing the patches for our upcoming mission. Crew-12 will launch on the SpaceX Dragon to join Expeditions 74 and 75 on the @Space_Station.
Adenot Sophie@Soph_astro·10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4… A countdown which just echoed around the world to welcome the New Year, but for #εpsilon and #crew12, January 1st, 2026 marks 45 days to launch! So… get ready for another countdown very soon….… 3, 2, 1, ignition, engines full throttle, and lift-off! 🚀
Let me guess the inter-agency investigation involved: NASA. the DoD, and the CIA !!!
_-_ Diary of an ESA astronaut _-_{USA 🇺🇸} Training weeks 77, 78 & 79🧑🚀 Crew training with @SpaceX teams. We rehearsed nominal, contingency, and emergency scenarios across all phases of dynamic flight – over and over! Launch, free flight in orbit, docking, undocking, reentry, splashdown and recovery. Sometimes we train with only our instructors; other times we train with the Space X (MCC-X) and Houston (MCC-H) control center teams – mission director, “core”/“capcom”, systems engineers, etc. -> everyone who will be behind console on the day of the event! It is fascinating to see everyone working together.🤩 One class with Don Pettit in the full scale ISS mockup. Thank you so much, @astro_Pettit, for sharing all your tips & tricks. It’s a privilege to learn from an astronaut with so much experience!✅ Remote training with @JAXA_en teams to ensure we can work efficiently in Kibo, the Japanese module onboard the ISS. We refreshed our memory on some procedures, and deepened our understanding of some experiments.🩺 Medical emergencies: we rehearsed key procedures. Practice is key should any medical issues arise. I also did another blood draw on myself!📷 SpaceX/NASA/ESA: with my amazing commander @Astro_Jessica 🤩🤗
After the @esa press conference with @Soph_astro about her upcoming #Epsilon space mission, Sophie shared the traditional mission cake with her colleagues at the European Astronaut Centre. Happy to share some of my photos here 😋
NASA announced on Thursday its decision to return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to Earth from the InNASA announced on Thursday its decision to return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to Earth from the International Space Station earlier than originally planned as teams monitor a medical concern with a crew member currently living and working aboard the orbital laboratory. As NASA reviews Crew-11 return dates, the agency also is working with SpaceX, and its international partners, to review the options available to advance launch opportunities for the Crew-12 mission. The agency anticipates a decision on a target Crew-11 return date in the coming days.
Healthcare in space is evolving. On the International Space Station, astronauts already use ultrasound to monitor their health, but until now, they have relied on real-time guidance from experts on Earth. This works well in low Earth orbit but will not be possible for future missions to the Moon or Mars, where communication delays make remote guidance impossible.In the photo, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot trains on EchoFinder-2, an experiment run by the French space agency CNES and supported by ESA. Sophie trained at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, alongside her NASA Crew-12 crewmates, astronauts Jessica Meir (right) and Jack Hathaway (left).The system uses augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to make ultrasound scans without ground assistance—a key step towards healthcare autonomy in space.Ultrasound is one of the most versatile medical tools: non-invasive, lightweight and radiation-free, making it ideal for space. But using it well requires expertise.[...]EchoFinder-2 takes the next step. Before flight, an expert sonographer performs a baseline data collection on each astronaut, recording the exact position and orientation of the ultrasound probe for selected organs. These reference points are stored and uploaded to the Space Station.The setup is simple: the subject lies in a supine position with a chest marker, while the operator uses the AR interface to guide the probe.In orbit, the astronaut uses a tablet running EchoFinder software, with a camera and QR markers attached to the probe and chest. The software displays virtual shapes on the screen: blue spheres for the current probe position and orange cubes for the target position. The operator moves the probe until the shapes overlap and turn green, signaling the correct placement. Then AI takes over, detecting the organs and saving the ultrasound image automatically.Crew-12 will be the first astronauts to test EchoFinder-2 aboard ESA’s Columbus module on the Space Station. ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot will use the system during her εpsilon mission, serving as both subject and operator.EchoFinder-2 opens the door to autonomous ultrasound using minimal training and low-tech hardware for space missions. Beyond space, this technology could also benefit remote regions on Earth, reducing the need for specialised expertise to perform ultrasound scans.
[6:30] "Second point, this mission could become the longest space mission for an ESA astronaut ever, depending of course on the final transportation manifest."[20:20] "The mission will be longer than the initially announced 6 months"
Hmm. I wonder how much a Dragon Crew mission can be expedited?
