SpaceX Crew-12 Docks at ISS on Valentine's Day, Restoring Full Crew Capacity
SpaceX's Crew-12 mission successfully docked with the International Space Station on February 14, 2025, at 3:15 p.m. EST, following a 34-hour orbital transfer. This event restored the ISS crew from three to seven members, addressing the station's reduced capacity after an unplanned medical evacuation in January 2025.
The Crew-12 team includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA mission specialist Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
The mission launched from Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on February 13. Fedyaev's inclusion followed a December 2024 crew change, replacing Oleg Artemyev due to allegations of ITAR law violations. Artemyev's removal, mandated by U.S. export regulations governing space technology, marked the first such adjustment in the ISS partnership since its inception.
Crew-12 will remain aboard the ISS until October 2025, extending the standard six-month mission duration. This extension aims to accommodate additional scientific experiments and operational tasks.
The hatch between the Dragon spacecraft and the ISS was opened at 5:00 p.m. EST, allowing the crew to begin their integration with the station's existing team.
"With that gentle contact, we have bridged the legacy of humankind's continuous presence in space... it is a promise kept," said Jessica Meir, Crew-12 commander, during a post-docking statement. She later emphasized, "Cooperation is not just possible, it is essential."
The ISS has maintained continuous human occupancy since November 2000. The Crew-12 mission underscores the resilience of international collaboration in space, despite geopolitical tensions and technical challenges.
NASA and its partners have confirmed that the station's systems remain stable, with no immediate operational risks identified.
