NASA and SpaceX are moving forward with preparations for the Crew-12 astronaut mission after the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the Falcon 9 rocket to return to flight. The launch is scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, at 6:01 a.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, pending final weather and readiness checks.
The FAA’s approval follows a four-day grounding of Falcon 9 after an issue during a Starlink satellite launch on February 2. Although all 25 satellites were successfully deployed into low Earth orbit, the rocket’s upper stage failed to complete a planned deorbit burn, causing the stage to reenter Earth’s atmosphere without full control. No injuries or damage were reported.
In its review, the FAA said investigators determined the most likely cause was a failure of the Falcon 9 second-stage engine to ignite prior to the deorbit maneuver. After examining SpaceX’s analysis and corrective actions, the agency accepted the final mishap report and authorized the vehicle’s return to flight. SpaceX implemented a series of technical updates and internal procedural changes aimed at reducing the risk of a similar failure in future missions.
The February incident marked the fourth Falcon 9 upper-stage anomaly in the past 19 months. Previous investigations led to launch pauses lasting up to two weeks, making the relatively brief review process notable as SpaceX continues to balance a high launch cadence with safety requirements.
The Crew-12 mission will carry four astronauts to the International Space Station aboard the Crew Dragon capsule Freedom. The crew includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot. They are expected to spend approximately nine months aboard the orbiting laboratory conducting scientific research, maintenance, and technology demonstrations.
Once Crew-12 arrives, the ISS will return to its standard seven-person crew. The station has operated with a reduced crew since mid-January following the early return of the Crew-11 mission, which marked the first medical evacuation from the ISS. NASA has not released details about that incident, citing medical privacy.
If the launch proceeds as planned, Crew-12’s arrival will restore full staffing aboard the space station and support continued international collaboration, long-term research, and daily operations in low Earth orbit.
