Several Russian sources claim that Artemyev was replaced due ITAR violations(photographing restricted SpaceX documentation with his phone). For example https://t.me/prostinas/3438https://x.com/KYKYPY3A_B/status/1995839592013189157?s=20. The official Roscosmos reason is "due a transfer to another job".
The Telegram channel about cosmonautics "Yura, Forgive Me!" reports that Artemyev, who was training at the SpaceX base in Hawthorne, California, was suspended last week. The cosmonaut allegedly photographed SpaceX engines and other internal SpaceX materials with his phone and then removed the materials from the base.
If the reports are true, will we see the Russian cosmonaut prosecuted or denied access to SpaceX facilities or the United States?
It all comes down to how hard SpaceX wants to push this. They could complain to both NASA and the US State Department and that could lead to either a prosecution in the US or that he ends up being declared persona non grata and forever barred from entering the US. Bigger picture is also on how hard SpaceX want to push things, in that that could feel uneasy hosting any cosmonauts whatsoever on their properties which could lead to very limited cosmonaut training in the US as SpaceX is the only viable US crew transportation company right now. So no Crew Dragon training whatsoever, even very brief emergency overview briefings.
Quote from: DaveS on 12/02/2025 08:53 pmIt all comes down to how hard SpaceX wants to push this. They could complain to both NASA and the US State Department and that could lead to either a prosecution in the US or that he ends up being declared persona non grata and forever barred from entering the US. Bigger picture is also on how hard SpaceX want to push things, in that that could feel uneasy hosting any cosmonauts whatsoever on their properties which could lead to very limited cosmonaut training in the US as SpaceX is the only viable US crew transportation company right now. So no Crew Dragon training whatsoever, even very brief emergency overview briefings.Hypothetically, if Artemyev were to be barred from the US (not saying whether he will be or whether he should be), would that preclude the possibility of a future Soyuz assignment for him? I forget how much Soyuz crews train here.
Quote from: Galacic01 on 11/29/2025 12:42 pmMaybe Artemyev wanted to command the Soyuz (he could have MS-31)Several Russian sources claim that Artemyev was replaced due ITAR violations(photographing restricted SpaceX documentation with his phone). For example https://t.me/prostinas/3438https://x.com/KYKYPY3A_B/status/1995839592013189157?s=20. The official Roscosmos reason is "due a transfer to another job".
Maybe Artemyev wanted to command the Soyuz (he could have MS-31)
"The cosmonaut allegedly photographed SpaceX documentation and then 'used his phone' to export classified information," The Insider wrote (in Russian; translation by Google), citing the work of launch analyst Gregory Trishkin."My contacts confirm that a violation occurred and an interdepartmental investigation has been launched,"
Diary of an ESA astronaut _-_{Cologne 🇩🇪 and Toulouse 🇫🇷} Training weeks 75, 762 weeks in Europe!🧑🚀 I’m now qualified as a Columbus module specialist. Woohoo! I also had the opportunity to meet the Columbus Control Center teams, who coordinate everything that happens in there… The Columbus module is the European outpost in space, docked to the ISS at the most forward and starboard position. It is both a laboratory and a “bedroom” with crew quarters where European astronauts sleep. See a future post for more details!🩺💉🩻I did a ton of BDC in these past 2 weeks. Scientists take measurements, blood samples, and assessment of my bone density, cardiovascular systems, ocular acuity, MRI, etc… so that they have a reference to compare to. With these, they can make progress in understanding the aging process, the formation of diseases and their treatment! I’m getting more and more used to markings on my body, and electrodes & cables 🔌 everywhere around me!!! Measurements need to be precise📏 and scientists make it happen!🤩I also had a chance to meet the French team in Toulouse and I could feel the energy of the French community! I’m so proud to represent France & Europe in space, and grateful to each of you. Your good vibes are fuelling my energy levels! Thank you so much!
Media representatives are invited to join French ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot on Monday 5 January at 14:00-15:00 CET for a hybrid press conference to learn more about her first mission to space.The conference is Sophie’s final media event in Europe ahead of her launch to the International Space Station and will be held at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany.Sophie selected the name ‘εpsilon’ for her first mission, currently planned no earlier than 15 February, reflecting the power of small, yet impactful contributions, and how many parts come together to make a whole.During εpsilon, Sophie will conduct a wide range of tasks on the International Space Station, including European-led scientific experiments, medical research, supporting Earth observation and contributing to operations and maintenance on the Station.
<snip>Artemyev was replaced by cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will become the first Russian to fly twice on Crew Dragon, reducing the amount of training required."https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Crew-12Let me guess the inter-agency investigation involved: NASA. the DoD, and the CIA !!!
As part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission, four crew members from three space agencies will launch no earlier than Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, to the International Space Station for a long-duration science expedition.NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, and will be accompanied by ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will both serve as mission specialists. Crew-12 will join Expedition 74 crew members currently aboard the space station.The flight is the 12th crew rotation with SpaceX to the orbiting laboratory as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Crew-12 will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as benefit people on Earth.This will be the second flight to the space station for Meir, who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013. The Caribou, Maine, native earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Brown University, a master’s degree in space studies from the International Space University, and a doctorate in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. On her first spaceflight, Meir spent 205 days as a flight engineer during Expedition 61/62, and she completed the first three all-woman spacewalks with fellow NASA astronaut Christina Koch, totaling 21 hours and 44 minutes outside of the station. Since then, she has served in various roles, including assistant to the chief astronaut for commercial crew (SpaceX), deputy for the Flight Integration Division, and assistant to the chief astronaut for the human landing system.A commander in the United States Navy, Hathaway was selected as part of the 2021 astronaut candidate class. This will be Hathaway’s 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, respectively. Hathaway also is a graduate of the Empire Test Pilot’s School, Fixed Wing Class 70 in 2011. At the time of his selection, Hathaway was deployed aboard the USS Truman, serving as Strike Fighter Squadron 81’s prospective executive officer. He has accumulated more than 2,500 flight hours in 30 different aircraft, including more than 500 carrier arrested landings and 39 combat missions.The Crew-12 mission will be Adenot’s first spaceflight. Before her selection as an ESA astronaut in 2022, Adenot earned a degree in engineering from ISAE-SUPAERO in Toulouse, France, specializing in spacecraft and aircraft flight dynamics. She also earned a master’s degree in human factors engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. After earning her master’s degree, she became a helicopter cockpit design engineer at Airbus Helicopters and later served as a search and rescue pilot at Cazaux Air Base from 2008 to 2012. She then joined the High Authority Transport Squadron in Villacoublay, France, and served as a formation flight leader and mission captain from 2012 to 2017. Between 2019 and 2022, Adenot worked as a helicopter experimental test pilot in Cazaux Flight Test Center with DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement – the French Defence Procurement Agency). She has logged more than 3,000 hours flying 22 different helicopters.This will be Fedyaev’s second long-duration stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. He graduated from the Krasnodar Military Aviation Institute in 2004, specializing in aircraft operations and air traffic organization, and earned qualifications as a pilot engineer. Prior to his selection as a cosmonaut, he served as deputy commander of an Ilyushin-38 aircraft unit in the Kamchatka Region, logging more than 600 flight hours and achieving the rank of second-class military pilot. Fedyaev was selected for the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center Cosmonaut Corps in 2012 and has served as a test cosmonaut since 2014. In 2023, he flew to the space station as a mission specialist during NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission, spending 186 days in orbit, as an Expedition 69 flight engineer. For his achievements, Fedyaev was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation and received the Yuri Gagarin Medal.
International Space Station@Space_StationThe official mission patch for @NASA's @SpaceX #Crew12 mission to the space station with astronauts @Astro_Jessica, @Astro_Hathaway, and @Soph_Astro, and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. They are due to launch no earlier than Feb. 15, 2026. https://flic.kr/p/2rN3ip2
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.
