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ISS Crew Faces Bumpy Ride to Space Station
5 Feb
Summary
- SpaceX Crew-12 launch delayed due to Falcon 9 rocket issue investigation.
- Previous crew evacuated from ISS early due to undisclosed medical issue.
- ISS, a symbol of US-Russia cooperation, is set to deorbit in 2030.
The launch of SpaceX Crew-12 to the International Space Station (ISS) has encountered further delays. The mission, featuring astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev, was initially slated for launch on February 11 but was postponed due to SpaceX grounding its Falcon 9 rockets for an investigation into an unspecified issue.
This latest setback follows the unexpected early return of the previous crew, Crew-11, in January. Their mission concluded prematurely due to a medical evacuation, the first in the ISS's history, with NASA declining to provide specific details about the health concern. The ISS, which has been continuously inhabited for 25 years, is scheduled for a controlled deorbit into the Pacific Ocean in 2030.
Adding to the mission's complex timeline, the Crew-12 launch had also been impacted by NASA's Artemis 2 mission to the Moon, which experienced its own delays. The ISS, once a beacon of post-Cold War relations, remains a rare area of cooperation between the West and Russia, despite broader geopolitical tensions. French astronaut Sophie Adenot is set to conduct experiments, including testing an AI-assisted ultrasound system.
