4 Astronauts Launch to Space Station After Prior Crew’s Medical Evacuation

The liftoff occurred slightly more than 24 hours after the launch of a Space Force mission by United Launch Alliance.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA’s Spacex Crew-12 lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Feb. 13, 2026. Screenshot/NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Three astronauts and one cosmonaut lit up the pre-dawn skies over Florida’s Space Coast on Feb. 13 as they set off on a mission that will bring the International Space Station back to full crew capacity.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission, carrying Americans Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway of NASA, France’s Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency, and Russia’s Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos, launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 5:15 a.m. EST Feb. 13.