The foursome are replacing Crew-11, which returned to Earth in January, a month earlier than planned, in the first medical evacuation in the space station\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
The ISS, which orbits 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth, has since been staffed by a skeleton crew of three.<\/p>\n
NASA declined to disclose any details about the health issue that cut the previous mission short.<\/p>\n
\t Crew-12 will be one of the last crews to live aboard the soccer field-sized space station.<\/p>\n Continuously inhabited for the last quarter-century, the aging ISS is scheduled to be pushed into Earth\u2019s orbit before crashing into an isolated spot in the Pacific Ocean in 2030.<\/p>\n Microgravity and the human body<\/p>\n During their eight months on the outpost, the astronauts will conduct many experiments, including research into the effects of microgravity on their bodies.<\/p>\n Meir, who previously worked as a marine biologist studying animals in extreme environments, will serve as the crew\u2019s commander.<\/p>\n \t Adenot has become the second French woman to fly into space, following in the footsteps of Claudie Haignere, who spent time on the Mir space station.<\/p>\n Among other research, she will test a system that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality to allow astronauts to carry out their own medical ultrasounds.<\/p>\n \u201cI am proud to bring France and Europe along on this incredible adventure that transcends borders,\u201d Adenot said. \u201cCount on me to share every step with you and bring a sparkle to the eyes of the French people.\u201d<\/p>\n The ISS, once a symbol of warming post-Cold War relations, has been a rare area of continued cooperation between the West and Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.<\/p>\n However, the space station has not entirely avoided the tensions back on Earth.<\/p>\n In November, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev \u2014 who had long been planned to be a member of Crew-12 \u2014 was suddenly taken off the mission.<\/p>\n Reports from independent media in Russia suggested he had been photographing and sending classified information with his phone while training at a SpaceX facility. Russian space agency Roscosmos merely said he had been transferred to a different job.<\/p>\n His replacement, Fedyaev, has already spent some time on the ISS as part of Crew-6 in 2023.<\/p>\n Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company\u2019s Dragon spacecraft on top launches from Space Launch Complex 40 for the Crew-12 mission at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on February 13, 2026. (Jim WATSON \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFP__20260215__97L97CQ__v1__HighRes__UsSpaceIssResearchAerospace-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tThis still image from a NASA livestream shows Crew-12 member US astronaut Jessica Meir aboard the International Space Station on February 14, 2026. (HANDOUT \/ NASA \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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