SpaceX and NASA have delayed the launch of the next crewed flight to the International Space Station (ISS) due to unfavorable weather conditions in the ascent corridor.
The launch team had been targeting Wednesday, February 11, for liftoff, but is now aiming to get Crew-12 airborne a day later on Thursday. Read on for full details on how to watch NASA’s first astronaut launch since Crew-11 flew to the ISS in August last year.
The liftoff will take place from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev aboard a Crew Dragon capsule, which previously flew the Crew-4, Ax-2, Ax-3, and Crew-9 missions to and from the space station.
It will be the second flight for the first-stage booster, which launched a batch of Starlink internet satellites on its maiden flight.
Around eight minutes after stage separation, the Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Landing Zone 40 (LZ-40) at Cape Canaveral. Bringing home the booster in this way allows SpaceX to reuse its boosters multiple times, helping to reduce spaceflight costs.
“During their time on the orbiting laboratory, the crew will conduct new research to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and to benefit humanity on Earth,” SpaceX said in a post on its website.
How to watch
SpaceX is aiming to launch Crew-12 to orbit at 5:38 a.m. ET on Thursday, February 12.
A livestream will begin on SpaceX’s website and X account about one hour before liftoff. NASA will show the same stream on its website.
The broadcast will feature the launch from multiple angles, together with communications between the crew and Mission Control during the early part of the flight. You’ll also get to see the first-stage booster land back at base.
Of course, it’s possible that a technical issue or inclement weather could disrupt the schedule. We’ll be sure to update here if another delay occurs, or you can check SpaceX’s account on X for the very latest information.