An international crew, consisting of four astronauts, including a Frenchwoman, landed on the International Space Station on Saturday after a journey that lasted about 34 hours. This crew, called Crew-12, affiliated with the US Space Agency (NASA), will conduct several experiments, including research on the effects of lack of gravity on their bodies, during their eight-month stay.

Published on: 02/15/2026 - 07:36 Last updated: 02/15/2026 - 10:19

After a flight that took about 34 hours, four astronauts arrived at the International Space Station on Saturday on a research mission that will take months. This journey began with a launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The Crew-12 crew of the American Space Agency (NASA) came to replace a crew that had to return to Earth before the scheduled date due to a health emergency for one of its members.

American astronaut Jessica Meir said after docking with the International Space Station, "We have connected the legacy of the continued human presence in space for more than 25 years in this particular location."

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"Hope is universal"

"As we look at the Earth from these windows, we remember that cooperation is not only possible, but necessary. Up here, there are no borders and hope is universal," she added.

In addition to Mir, the crew includes American Jack Hathaway, Frenchwoman Sophie Adeno, and Russian Andrey Fedyev.

The four astronauts replace the Crew 11 crew, which returned to Earth last January, that is, a month before the originally scheduled date, due to a health emergency for one of its members, in the first medical evacuation in the history of the space station.

During their eight-month stay at the station, the four astronauts will conduct a number of experiments, including research on the effects of lack of gravity on their bodies.

The team is led by Meir, who was previously a marine biologist who studies animals in extreme environments.

Frenchwoman Sophie Adino, affiliated with the European Space Agency, is testing a system that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality to enable astronauts to conduct medical examinations for themselves using ultrasound.

France 24/AFP

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