After four crew members had to return earlier than expected due to health issues of one of them, their replacements arrived at the International Space Station this Saturday. Adenot, the Americans Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir and the Russian Andrei Fedyaev completed a 34-hour journey and had no problems on their trip to orbit.

First modification: 02/15/2026 - 03:49

The International Space Station is complete again after the arrival of the Crew-12 mission, launched on Friday from Cape Canaveral, which replaces the four astronauts who had to return due to health problems of one of them.

Under the SpaceX operation, the Frenchwoman Sophie Adenot, the two Americans Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, and the Russian Andrei Fedyaev reached the ISS without problems after 34 hours of travel.

There were still three members of the previous crew - one from the United States and two from Russia - at the station so that the place remains operational.

These new envoys will remain in orbit for between eight and nine months, longer than the traditional six months.

Of the four new crew members, only Meir and Fedyaev have previously been to the space terminal.

Even Meir, with skills in marine biology, was part of the first female spacewalk that took place in 2019.

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On the other hand, the other three members have military experience. Hathaway is a captain in the United States Navy; while Fedyaev has experience as a military pilot, a case similar to that of Adenot, who is a military helicopter pilot.

Relay in space

The Frenchwoman, the second woman of her nationality to fly into space, was in charge of giving the first message as soon as the capsule connected with the ISS. The journey occurred within the stipulated times and without alterations.

"We welcome you to Crew-12 and we are glad that you have arrived safely," replied Russian Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who remained on the ISS with his compatriot Sergei Mikaev and Christopher Williams, from the United States, to take over.

Hours later, when the hatches opened, the seven space crew members met, hugged each other and began their work.

Regarding the astronaut who had to return to Earth prematurely on January 7, it is only known that it was due to a serious health problem, not linked to the trip.

The entity has not provided further details about who it is or what the condition was due to, citing medical privacy.

Last month's medical evaluation was the first NASA conducted in the 65 years it has operated human spaceflight.

"We are here for Sophie"

At the Cité des Sciences in Paris, hundreds of people applauded when the Crew-12 crew crossed the 100-kilometer altitude threshold, marking the beginning of space according to international convention.

Transmitting his "pure emotion", Belgian astronaut Raphaël Liégeois, present during the broadcast, expressed to the AFP agency his "pride" at seeing his classmate, Sophie Adenot, "lead the way."

In Toulouse (southwest France), headquarters of the French space agency (CNES), hundreds of people gathered at the Cité de l'Espace. "We are here for Sophie, to witness the emotion and intensity of the launch," explained Frédérique Rossignol, 68, in the crowd.

An engineer by profession and former test pilot, Sophie Adenot is the second French woman to travel to space, after the pioneer Claudie Haigneré in 1996 and 2001.

In fact, it was one of Haigneré's flights that sparked his ambition when he was 14, as he recently confessed. "That's when I said to myself, 'Someday that's going to be me.'" Claudie Haigneré, who became her mentor, traveled to Florida for the launch.

Sophie Adenot also received remote encouragement from President Emmanuel Macron in a video published on the social network X, in which other personalities also participated, such as French astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

Known for his affable nature, he revived public interest in space during two stays on the ISS (in 2016-2017 and 2021).

With EFE, AP and AFP

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