NASA and SpaceX will launch a four-astronaut relief crew to the International Space Station early Friday, Feb. 13, to return the lab to a full seven-person population. Liftoff is set for Friday at 5:15 a.m. EST (1115 GMT).
LAUNCH WEBCAST! | Meet Crew-12 astronauts | SpaceX | Dragon | Falcon 9
Stage separation for Crew-12 Falcon 9 rocket
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has successfully separated its first stage from the upper stage for today's Crew-12 launch. The first stage is returning to Earth for a planned landing at a new landing pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida about 8 minutes after liftoff.
So far, the flight is going smoothly.
"Dragon, SpaceX, nominal trajectory," flight controllers told the astronauts.
"Dragon copies," commander Jessica Meir said.
LIFTOFF! SpaceX launches Crew-12 astronauts
With a blinding light, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on time from Space Launch Complex 40 to carry the four Crew-12 astronauts toward the International Space Station.
Crew-12 astronauts share inspiring message, strongback retracted
With just minutes remaining to liftoff, the four astronauts inside SpaceX's Crew Dragon Freedom shared a brief, but inspiring message of unity and exploration from inside the capsule.
"In a few moments, we will leave the ground,but not the people who helped get us here," Crew-12 commander Jessica Meir said. "This mission is a result of years of dedication, preparation, and trust to the teams, and also, every decision has led to this moment."
Her crewmates each spoke as well on the value of international cooperation to continue work on the ISS.
Stage one fueling is complete with RP-1 and liquid oxygen. Stage 2 has completed topping off its liquid oxygen.
The strongback support has retracted for launch. We are minutes from liftoff.
Crew-12 Falcon 9 rocket first stage fueled for launch
SpaceX reports that the first stage of the Crew-12 Falcon 9 rocket has been fueled with its RP-1 rocket-grade kerosene fuel for today's launch.
Fueling is continuing in what SpaceX calls a "late load" approach to fuel the rocket in the final minutes before a planned liftoff. Stage 2 liquid oxygen loading is now underway
The Dragon Freedom capsule is one of five crewed Dragon capsules SpaceX uses for trips to and from the International Space Station.
"We're tracking no holds against launch today," flight controllers radioed to Dragon astronauts.
"Dragon copies, great news," Crew-12 commander Jessica Meir said.
Crew-12 launch webcast has begun
Crew-12 astronauts arrive at the launch pad
How to watch SpaceX's Crew-12 launch early Friday
If you're hoping to watch SpaceX's Crew-12 astronaut launch to the International Space Station, you're in luck. You'll have a wide variety of ways to tune in, including by watching the launch live in the video feed at the top of this page.
Our Spaceflight Editor Mike Wall has the full guide here:
Watch SpaceX launch Crew-12 astronaut mission to the International Space Station early on Feb. 13
NASA's Crew-12 launch webcast will begin at 3:15 a.m. EST (0815 GMT) on Friday, Feb. 13, with the launch itself scheduled for 5:15 a.m. EST (1015 GMT).
While you can watch it on Space.com and via our YouTube channel, you can also watch it directly from NASA, which will stream the launch live on NASA+, YouTube and Amazon Prime, as well as its social media channels.
The launch should cover SpaceX's actual Falcon 9 rocket liftoff, its' first stage booster landing and the Dragon capsule separation from its Falcon 9 upper stage.
NASA will provide a different webcast on Saturday, Feb. 14, for docking at the International Space Station as needed.
This will be our last update of today, Thursday. We'll see you early Friday for the launch!
SpaceX, NASA are 'go' for Crew-12 launch Friday
The Crew-12 astronaut team is commanded by astronaut Jessica Meir, with Jack Hathaway serving as pilot. Both are NASA astronauts. Rounding out the crew are European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot of France and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedaev. They will fly an 8-month mission to the ISS.
Crew-12 is a replacement crew for Crew-11, a team of four astronauts who returned to Earth earier than planned last month in what was the first-ever medical evacuation of the space station. Meir and her Crew-12 crewmates were originally scheduled to launch sometime in March, but NASA and SpaceX moved the flight up after the early return of Crew-11.
Space.com's Josh Dinner is on the scene for the relief crew's launch and will br providing updates over the next day that I'll share directly with you here.
You'll also be able to watch the launch live on this page early Friday, courtesy of NASA TV, with our livestream beginning at 3:15 a.m. EST (0815 GMT).
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