SpaceX Crew-12 Dragon Spacecraft Docks with Space Station

Four-person crew set to conduct groundbreaking research on the International Space Station

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, February 14, 2026, carrying the Crew-12 mission - a team poised to conduct research on areas critical to both space travel and terrestrial well-being, including understanding and combating pneumonia-causing bacteria, testing on-demand intravenous fluid generation technologies, and investigating how physical characteristics influence blood flow during spaceflight.

Why it matters

The Crew-12 mission marks a significant step in preparing for future human exploration beyond Earth and delivering benefits to life back home. The research agenda focuses on advancing healthcare and sustainable space living, which could lead to breakthroughs in medical science and more efficient agricultural practices on Earth.

The details

The Crew-12 mission features NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. In addition to the healthcare and sustainable living research, the crew will also investigate plant-microbe interactions to revolutionize food production in space, which could have implications for addressing food security challenges on Earth.

  • The Dragon spacecraft docked with the ISS on Saturday, February 14, 2026.
  • The Crew-12 mission is expected to last approximately eight months.

The players

Jessica Meir

NASA astronaut on the Crew-12 mission.

Jack Hathaway

NASA astronaut on the Crew-12 mission.

Sophie Adenot

European Space Agency astronaut on the Crew-12 mission.

Andrey Fedyaev

Roscosmos cosmonaut on the Crew-12 mission.

SpaceX

An American aerospace company that launched the Crew-12 mission.

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What’s next

The Crew-12 mission is expected to continue its research on the International Space Station for approximately eight months.

The takeaway

The Crew-12 mission represents a significant milestone in the advancement of space exploration, with its focus on improving healthcare, developing sustainable space living technologies, and exploring innovative approaches to food production - all of which have the potential to benefit life on Earth.