Image Credit: Graham Smith - We Report SpaceCape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL. – In the wee hours before sunrise, a SpaceX Falcon 9 lit the skies with the launch of the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station. The launch came at 5:15 AM EST from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This launch originally scheduled for a later date was moved up to help in the space station rotation after the early departure of Crew – 11 had to return early due to a medical issue on the station.
Crew – 12 is made up of: NASA Astronauts Jack Hathaway (Pilot), Jessica Meir (Commander), ESA (European Space Agency) Sophie Adenot (Mission Specialist) and Roscosmos Cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev. Launch and Landing as seen from Cocoa Beach. Image Credit: Michael Seeley - We Report SpaceAfter a more than a day’s journey after launch, the Dragon capsule “Freedom” and her crew will dock at the Harmony Module of the I.S.S. for a stay of a planned several months before returning to Earth later this year.
Launch and Landing as seen from the NASA Press Site. Image Credit: Graham Smith - We Report SpaceThis crew will be joining the current expedition crew currently on stations and will be conducting a variety of science experiments will aboard the orbiting laboratory.
In a statement from NASA: “With Crew-12 safely on orbit, America and our international partners once again demonstrated the professionalism, preparation, and teamwork required for human spaceflight,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “The research this crew will conduct aboard the space station advances critical technologies for deep space exploration while delivering real benefits here on Earth. I’m grateful to the NASA and SpaceX teams whose discipline, rigor, and resilience made today’s launch possible. We undertake these missions with a clear understanding of risk, managing it responsibly so we can continue expanding human presence in low Earth orbit while preparing for our next great leap to the Moon and onward to Mars.”
The "Nebula" Image Credit: Michael Seeley - We Report SpaceShortly after launch, the first stage booster made a successful landing back at the launch site for the first ever landing at LZ- 40 sending a sonic boom across the Space Coast.
Stunning, full color photo book covering every east coast launch spanning 2014-2015, including the first-ever powered landing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
