Washington: NASA has once again delayed the much-anticipated Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), citing unfavorable weather conditions along the launch trajectory. Originally scheduled for February 12, the launch will now take place on February 13 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Florida. While weather at the launch site remains stable, strong winds along the flight path have raised safety concerns, particularly regarding potential emergency splashdown and rescue operations at sea.
The Crew-12 team comprises American astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, French astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Liftoff is targeted for 5:15 a.m. local time on Friday (afternoon IST), and if successful, the crew is expected to dock with the ISS by Saturday. They will replace members of Crew-11 who returned to Earth in January due to medical reasons. With the ISS scheduled to conclude operations in 2030, the mission marks a significant chapter in the station’s final decade of service. Meanwhile, the astronauts remain in quarantine at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, awaiting a safe launch window.
