Four crew members, including two American astronauts, arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday. They were greeted warmly after docking at 3:16 p.m. ET. This team includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who was already aboard, expressed excitement about their arrival. “We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” he said. The crew traveled to space in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, launched from Cape Canaveral at 5:15 a.m. ET on Friday.
Meir was elated upon arrival, stating, “We did it. We’re here. We love you.” Adenot shared her amazement at the beauty of Earth from space, noting the lack of borders when viewed from above.
Though the new arrivals—collectively called Crew-12—were scheduled to overlap with the outgoing Crew-11, the previous team had to return early due to an undisclosed medical issue. This left NASA astronaut Chris Williams on board alongside Kud-Sverchkov and another cosmonaut, Sergey Mikayev. With the new crew, the ISS will now be back to its usual count of seven crew members.
Hathaway described the experience of floating in space as “so cool,” highlighting the camaraderie with his fellow Crew-12 members.
The launch was briefly delayed due to high winds, emphasizing NASA’s commitment to safety. They monitor weather conditions closely in case an emergency requires the Dragon capsule to separate from the rocket.
A recent incident involving a Falcon 9 rocket during an uncrewed launch raised flags for safety checks. After a brief investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration cleared SpaceX to resume operations, allowing this successful launch to proceed without issues.
During the time the ISS was short-staffed, no major incidents occurred, according to NASA. Dina Contella, deputy manager of the ISS Program, emphasized that while extra hands are appreciated, safety remains a priority: “We’ll launch when we’re ready.”
The crew of Crew-12 is set to stay on the ISS for about eight months. Their research will cover diverse topics such as food production in space and how microgravity impacts health, which are crucial for future missions to the Moon and Mars. This work not only enhances our understanding of space but also has applications on Earth.
Interestingly, Meir’s previous mission saw her breaking boundaries by participating in the first all-female spacewalks. “Cooperation is not just possible, it is essential,” she stated, summarizing the spirit of the ISS project, which integrates efforts from multiple nations towards a common goal.
For more on ongoing space exploration and scientific advancements, you can visit NASA’s official site.
