By: The Trek News Desk
NASA has once again delayed the launch of its Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), citing unfavourable weather conditions. The U.S. space agency has now rescheduled the liftoff for February 13, 2026.
According to NASA, four astronauts will travel to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The new launch window is scheduled to open at 5:15 a.m. local time (10:15 GMT) on Friday.
In an official statement, NASA stated that mission teams reviewed weather forecasts on Tuesday morning and decided to call off the February 12 launch attempt.
While conditions at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida remain suitable for liftoff, strong winds predicted along the U.S. East Coast prompted the delay. These winds could create complications in the event of an emergency, including the need for an early splashdown of the spacecraft.
If the launch proceeds as planned on Friday, the Crew-12 astronauts are expected to reach the International Space Station by approximately 3:15 p.m. on Saturday.
The mission team includes four space travellers from three countries:
- Jessica Meir (United States)
- Jack Hathaway (United States)
- Sophie Adenot (France)
- Andrey Fedyaev (Russia)
The astronauts are currently in quarantine at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida as they await their journey to orbit.
Crew-12 will take over operations from Crew-11, whose members returned to Earth in January, one month earlier than scheduled, due to a medical emergency. It marked the first medical evacuation in the history of the ISS.
Since then, the space station has been operating with a reduced crew of three astronauts.
Orbiting approximately 400 kilometres above Earth, the ISS has maintained continuous human presence for nearly 25 years. However, NASA plans to retire the ageing laboratory in 2030, guiding it to a controlled re-entry over a remote area of the Pacific Ocean.
All eyes are now on the February 13 launch attempt, with weather conditions expected to play a decisive role in the mission’s success.
Source: News Agencies
