Four new astronauts arrive at the International Space Station

The crew replaces NASA's evacuated astronauts due to health concerns

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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The International Space Station has returned to full strength with the arrival of four new astronauts from the U.S., France, and Russia. They are replacing colleagues who had to be evacuated early due to a serious health issue with one of the previous crew members. The new crew will stay on the station for eight to nine months.

Why it matters

The evacuation of the previous crew was NASA's first in 65 years of human spaceflight, leaving only three crew members to keep the station running and prompting a pause in spacewalks and research. The arrival of the new crew restores the station to full staffing levels.

The details

The four new astronauts - NASA's Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France's Sophie Adenot, and Russia's Andrei Fedyaev - were delivered to the space station by a SpaceX spacecraft a day after launching from Cape Canaveral. Meir and Fedyaev have previous experience on the space station, while Adenot is only the second French woman to fly in space. The new crew will be on the station for eight to nine months.

  • The previous crew was evacuated on January 7, 2026.
  • The four new astronauts arrived at the space station on February 14, 2026.

The players

Jessica Meir

A NASA astronaut and marine biologist who has previously lived on the International Space Station.

Jack Hathaway

A NASA astronaut and captain in the U.S. Navy.

Sophie Adenot

A French astronaut and military helicopter pilot, only the second French woman to fly in space.

Andrei Fedyaev

A Russian astronaut and former military pilot who has previously lived on the International Space Station.

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What they’re saying

“'Bonjour!' Adenot called out once the capsule docked to the space station 277 miles (446 kilometers) up.”

— Sophie Adenot (The Associated Press)

“'Grateful to be on board, and we're ready to get to work.'”

— Jessica Meir (The Associated Press)

What’s next

NASA has said it did not alter its preflight medical checks for the new crew members.

The takeaway

The arrival of the new crew restores the International Space Station to full staffing levels after the unexpected evacuation of the previous crew due to a serious health issue, allowing NASA to resume normal operations and research on the orbiting laboratory.