SpaceX

A composite shot showing the liftoff of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 and the landing of the Falcon booster, 1101, at the new recovery site, Landing Zone 40, during NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now Flying in the face of superstition, NASA and SpaceX conducted a smooth countdown and launch of three astronauts and a cosmonaut to begin the latest, long-duration mission to the International Space Station on Friday, Feb. 13. The nine Merlin 1D engines roared to life at 5:15 a.m. EST (1015 UTC) following a smooth countdown. It was the first time that NASA conducted a crewed mission on a Friday the 13th. “It turns out Friday the 13th is a very lucky day,” the SpaceX launch director quipped moments after the Dragon Freedom ...

Four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission launched at 5:15 a.m. EST Friday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled a Dragon spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The spacecraft will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 3:15 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14. “With Crew-12 safely on orbit, America and our international partners once again demonstrated the professionalism, preparation, and teamwork required for human spaceflight,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “...

Teams monitor the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev onboard, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani The launch of the next crew rotation mission to the International Space Station will have to wait at least another day after NASA and SpaceX leadership determined weather along the flight path would be unacceptable. Leaders moved the launch of Crew-12 from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to no earlier than Thursday,...

NASA will stream live coverage of the upcoming prelaunch, launch, and docking activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff is targeted for no earlier than 6:01 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Feb. 11, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The targeted docking time is approximately 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 12. Watch agency launch coverage on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Individual events on YouTube will have their own stream closer to their start time. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adeno...

SpaceX works on the crew access arm at Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now It’s the end of an era as SpaceX transitions all of its planned Dragon flights from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. During the predawn hours of Feb. 4, the company erected a Leibherr LR13000 crane beside the crew access tower at LC-39A. It then proceeded to secure a support structure around the crew access arm, either in preparation for removal or to support repair work. In a statement to Spaceflight Now, a NASA spokesperson said that SpaceX let the agency know about work it planned to perform on the crew access arm, but deferred to SpaceX for details. We reached out ...