NASA has released a sweeping investigation report into the propulsion system failures that plagued Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner during its Crewed Flight Test (CFT) last year. The report finds a cascade of hardware failures, qualification gaps, organizational breakdowns, and a culture that prioritized schedule and provider success over engineering rigor in the program.
A Wednesday launch attempt for NASA’s Crew-12 mission has been scrubbed due to unfavorable weather along the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon spacecraft’s flight path, pushing the next opportunity to no earlier than 5:38 AM ET on Thursday, Feb. 12th.
Following a weather review Monday, mission teams opted to stand down from the February 11 window. Conditions along the trajectory remain a concern for the new target date, though forecasters expect improvement heading into a backup window on Friday, February 13th.
The four-person crew — NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev — continues pre-flight quarantine at Kennedy Space Center as they await their ride to the International Space Station.
Go for Launch • Cape Canaveral SFS, FL • SLC-40
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Mission | Crew-12 (crewed Dragon mission to the ISS for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program) |
| Organization | SpaceX |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 |
| Launch Site | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA |
| Pad | Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) |
| Window Opens | Thursday, 02/12/2026 5:38:00 AM (ET) |
| Window Closes | Thursday, 02/12/2026 5:38:00 AM (ET) |
| Destination | Low Earth Orbit |
| Status Info | Current T-0 confirmed by official or reliable sources. |
| Mission Description | SpaceX Crew-12 is the twelfth crewed operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. |
| Countdown (to window open) | — |
The mission will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. If the Thursday window holds, the crew would dock with the station around 10:30 AM ET on Friday.
With NASA’s announcement that Crew 12 would now target Thursday, February 12, a potential range conflict comes into focus: United Launch Alliance and the US Space Force plan to launch Vulcan on a national security mission at roughly the same time on Thursday.
Go for Launch • Cape Canaveral SFS, FL • SLC-41
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Mission | USSF-87 (two GSSAP space situational awareness satellites to near-geosynchronous orbit) |
| Organization | United Launch Alliance |
| Rocket | Vulcan VC4S |
| Launch Site | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA |
| Pad | Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) |
| Window Opens | Thursday, 02/12/2026 3:00:00 AM (ET) |
| Window Closes | Thursday, 02/12/2026 7:50:00 AM (ET) |
| Destination | Geostationary Orbit |
| Status Info | Current T-0 confirmed by official or reliable sources. |
| Mission Description | USSF-87 will launch two identical Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites, GSSAP-7 and GSSAP-8, directly to a near-geosynchronous orbit approximately 36,000 km above the equator. Data from GSSAP will contribute to timely and accurate orbital predictions, improving spaceflight safety and satellite collision avoidance. |
| Countdown (to window open) | — |
Given NASA’s announcement, one must wonder if the date for USSF-87 will change, or if ULA and the Space Force will stand pat, expecting a second change to Crew 12.
Stay tuned.
Maybe Elton John was right when he sang in his hit “Rocket Man” that “Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kid.” As humanity moves closer and closer to astronauts and colonists living off of the Earth, pregnancy and childbirth are inevitable. A new study looks at the subject and it raises some interesting risks as well as a call for more research.
Published February 3 in Reproductive BioMedicine Online, a new review, “Reproductive biomedicine in space: implications for gametogenesis, fertility and ethical considerations in the era of commercial spaceflight,” brings together nine international experts in reproductive health, aerospace medicine, and bioethics to consider the issue.
Their central finding is stark: despite more than 65 years of human spaceflight, remarkably little is known about how the space environment affects the reproductive systems of men and women during long-duration missions.
“More than 50 years ago, two scientific breakthroughs reshaped what was thought biologically and physically possible — the first Moon landing and the first proof of human fertilisation in vitro,” said lead author Giles Palmer, a clinical embryologist at the International IVF Initiative. “Now we argue that these once-separate revolutions are colliding in a practical and underexplored reality.”
The review identifies a triad of hazards. Cosmic radiation is the most well-characterized: beyond Earth’s protective magnetosphere, astronauts are exposed to galactic cosmic rays and high-energy charged particles that current shielding cannot fully block.
Doses exceeding approximately 250 milliSieverts can disrupt sperm production, and chronic exposure may impair the hormonal signaling that governs testosterone and sperm quality. (The average dose on ISS is 13 to 27 millisieverts (mSv) per month.) For women, animal studies link radiation to menstrual disruption and elevated cancer risk, though reliable human data from long missions remains scarce.
Microgravity introduces a separate set of problems. Weightlessness removes a fundamental mechanical cue that influences hormonal regulation, gamete development, and early embryonic growth. Animal studies have shown decreased sperm motility, increased DNA fragmentation, and disrupted development under microgravity conditions. Notably, a complete mammalian reproductive cycle — from egg and sperm development through birth — has never been achieved in space.
Circadian disruption rounds out the triad. Astronauts on the ISS experience roughly 16 sunrises every 24 hours. On Earth, similar disruptions in shift workers are linked to menstrual irregularities, reduced fertility, and poor pregnancy outcomes. The molecular clock genes active in reproductive tissues are known to impair ovulation when thrown out of sync.
Data from the Space Shuttle era offers some reassurance: female astronauts’ subsequent pregnancy rates were comparable to age-matched women on Earth. But those missions were far shorter than what’s now planned for lunar and Mars exploration, and male reproductive outcomes in space remain poorly documented. Clearly, more study is needed.
The review raises ethical questions that reach beyond medical risk. If a child were conceived and born under lunar or Martian gravity, their skeletal and muscular development would differ fundamentally from Earth-born humans. Such an individual might be physically unable to live under terrestrial gravity — a scenario the authors frame as one of the most profound considerations of the coming era.
“As human presence in space expands, reproductive health can no longer remain a policy blind spot,” said senior author Dr. Fathi Karouia, a research scientist at NASA. He called for international collaboration to close knowledge gaps before commercial and long-duration missions make these questions unavoidable.
Axiom Space has secured another trip to the International Space Station after NASA selected the Houston-based company for a fifth commercial crew mission to the orbital outpost.
Axiom Mission 5 could launch as early as January 2027 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with a four-person crew spending approximately two weeks conducting research and technology demonstrations aboard the station. The actual launch date will depend on spacecraft scheduling and ISS operational needs.
NASA chose Axiom through a competitive process outlined in the agency’s March 2025 Research Announcement. The selection continues a pattern of relying on private missions to maximize utilization of the aging laboratory before its eventual retirement.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman framed the announcement as proof that commercial human spaceflight has matured from proof-of-concept flights into routine operations—capabilities the agency views as essential groundwork for lunar and Martian expeditions.
The ISS Program Office sees these commercial visits as opportunities to cultivate new markets and validate technologies while preserving the station’s scientific and diplomatic functions. As NASA works toward handing off low Earth orbit operations to private providers, missions like Ax-5 serve as both revenue generators and testbeds for the post-ISS era.
As before, the mission will fly aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, launched by a Falcon 9.
| Mission | Launch Date | Crew |
|---|---|---|
| Axiom-1 | April 8, 2022 | Michael López-Alegría (Cmdr) — USA/Spain Larry Connor (Pilot) — USA Eytan Stibbe (MS) — Israel Mark Pathy (MS) — Canada |
| Axiom-2 | May 21, 2023 | Peggy Whitson (Cmdr) — USA John Shoffner (Pilot) — USA Ali Alqarni (MS) — Saudi Arabia Rayyanah Barnawi (MS) — Saudi Arabia |
| Axiom-3 | January 18, 2024 | Michael López-Alegría (Cmdr) — USA/Spain Walter Villadei (Pilot) — Italy Alper Gezeravcı (MS) — Turkey Marcus Wandt (MS) — Sweden |
| Axiom-4 | June 25, 2025 | Peggy Whitson (Cmdr) — USA Shubhanshu Shukla (Pilot) — India Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (MS) — Poland Tibor Kapu (MS) — Hungary |
| Axiom-5 | NET January 2027 | Crew TBD |
Axiom will nominate its crew roster for Axiom 5 to NASA for its approval and international partner agencies. Selected astronauts will then complete training alongside NASA personnel and the spacecraft operator before flight.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule carrying the four-person Crew-11 team touched down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego early Thursday, wrapping up a mission that lasted just over five months aboard the International Space Station.
NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov splashed down at 12:41 AM PT. SpaceX recovery crews pulled the spacecraft and astronauts from the water shortly after.
The crew came home roughly three weeks ahead of schedule due to an undisclosed medical issue affecting one of the four. Citing privacy, NASA has declined to identify which crew member is involved but confirmed the individual remains in stable condition. All four astronauts were transported to a local hospital for evaluation following splashdown—a precautionary measure to take advantage of medical resources on the ground. Presumably, the crew member with the medical issue can now begin treatment.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our astronauts and the teams on the ground at NASA, SpaceX, and across our international partnerships,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement. “Their professionalism and focus kept the mission on track, even with an adjusted timeline.”
The crew launched from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on August 1, 2025, and docked to the station about 15 hours later. Over the course of 167 days in orbit, they circled Earth more than 2,670 times and racked up nearly 71 million miles.
Crew-11 conducted more than 140 experiments during their stay and marked the 25th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard the ISS on November 2. The mission was Fincke’s fourth trip to space, bringing his career total to 549 days—fourth-highest among all NASA astronauts. For Cardman and Platonov, it was their first spaceflight.
After a planned overnight hospital stay, all four crew members will head to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for standard postflight medical checks and reconditioning.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting Wednesday, January 14, at 5:00 PM EST for the undocking of Dragon Endeavour from the International Space Station, beginning the first medical evacuation in the orbiting laboratory’s 25-year history. If weather and all other factors are acceptable, the four-person Crew-11 team is expected to splash down off the coast of San Diego, California, at approximately 3:40 AM ET on Thursday, January 15.
NASA has published the following schedule for Crew-11’s departure:
| Time (EST) | Event |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, January 14 | |
| 3:00 PM | Hatch closure coverage begins |
| 3:30 PM | Hatch closing |
| 4:45 PM | Undocking coverage begins |
| 5:00 PM | Undocking |
| Thursday, January 15 | |
| 2:15 AM | Reentry coverage begins |
| 2:50 AM | Deorbit burn |
| 3:40 AM | Splashdown |
| 5:45 AM | Post-return media conference |
The roughly 11-hour journey from undocking to splashdown follows standard Crew Dragon procedures. Mission managers continue monitoring weather and sea states in the Pacific Ocean recovery zone, and the precise splashdown location will be confirmed closer to undocking.
NASA officials have repeatedly emphasized this is a “controlled medical evacuation” rather than an emergency return. In true emergencies, Dragon can bring crew home within hours, but the agency opted for standard departure procedures to minimize risk.
“Safely conducting our missions is our highest priority,” NASA stated. “These are the situations NASA and our partners train for and prepare to execute safely.”
The affected crew member remains stable. NASA has declined to identify which of the four astronauts is experiencing the medical concern, citing privacy policies. The issue first came to light on January 7 when JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui requested a private medical conference with flight surgeons.
As many of you have heard, our crew will be coming home just a few weeks earlier than planned due to an unexpected medical issue. First and foremost, we are all OK. Everyone on board is stable, safe, and well cared for. This was a deliberate decision to allow the right medical evaluations to happen on the ground, where the full range of diagnostic capability exists. It’s the right call, even if it’s a bit bittersweet.
This photo was taken as we prepared our space suits for return—a normal, methodical step in getting ready to come home, and a reminder that this decision was made calmly and carefully, with people at the center.
What stands out most to me is how clearly NASA cares about its people. Flight surgeons, engineers, managers, and support teams came together quickly and professionally to chart the best path forward. The ground teams—across mission control centers and partner organizations around the world—have been extraordinary.
We’re proud of the joint work we’ve done and the camaraderie we’ve shared, including some great songs and more than a few dad jokes. It has been a privilege to serve aboard the International Space Station—an extraordinary orbiting laboratory and a symbol of what nations can achieve together. Living and working here with our international partners has been both humbling and deeply rewarding.
This moment also highlights the strength of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and our partnership with SpaceX. Dragon provides a safe, reliable, and flexible capability to bring us home on short notice when it’s the right thing to do.
We’re leaving the ISS in great hands. The three crewmates who arrived in November will continue the mission, and they’ll be joined by Crew-12 in just a few weeks. Explore 74!
We’re grateful for the teamwork, proud of the mission, and looking forward to coming home soon—back to our loved ones and to resolving any medical questions with the best care available.
— Ad Astra per Aspera!
NASA Astronaut Mike Fincke, January 11, 2026
Interestingly, Mike Finke gave the update outside of NASA’s official media channels, instead, he posted it to his LinkedIn page. That’s not to say that NASA did not know and approve of what Finke had to say, just that he made it a personal statement from a personal channel.
The Crew-11 astronauts have spent recent days preparing for departure. A key step involves fit-checking their Dragon pressure suits—necessary because the spine lengthens and body fluids shift toward the head in microgravity, affecting torso and limb dimensions. The crew also tested suit audio and video communication systems.
Commander Zena Cardman drained water from two NASA spacesuits aboard the station—the same suits that would have been used for the January 8 spacewalk that was cancelled when the medical situation arose. Yui and Platonov continued research activities, with Platonov studying blood vessel function in microgravity and methods for preventing blood clots during spaceflight.
When Endeavour undocks, the International Space Station will be left with only three crew members—the smallest complement in years:
The trio arrived November 27, 2025, aboard Soyuz MS-28 and will remain aboard until July 2026. Williams will serve as the sole American operator for NASA’s systems and science experiments until Crew-12 arrives.
NASA and Roscosmos intentionally place astronauts on different spacecraft precisely for situations like this. The U.S. and Russian segments of the station are interdependent, requiring at least one person from each country to keep operations running.
“This is one of the reasons why we fly mixed crews on Soyuz and US vehicles,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya in a NASA press conference last Friday. “We want to make sure we have operators for both segments.”
NASA is assessing whether to accelerate the Crew-12 launch, currently targeting no earlier than February 15. The Crew-12 team includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has indicated the agency is comfortable with the gap in crew size. The station has operated with skeleton crews before—as few as two people remained aboard following the Columbia tragedy in 2003.
Asked whether an accelerated Crew-12 launch could impact Artemis II preparations at Kennedy Space Center, Isaacman was direct: “These would be totally separate campaigns at this point.” NASA’s crewed lunar mission remains on track for its February launch window.
While unprecedented for the International Space Station, medical evacuations from orbit have occurred before. In November 1985, Soviet Salyut 7 commander Vladimir Vasyutin became seriously ill after two months in space and returned early with his crewmates.
Afterward, Cosmonaut Viktor Savinykh published a diary detailing the difficult situation. Like NASA today, Soviet officials declined to identify the specific medical problem for privacy reasons, though it is generally believed to have been a prostate infection.
The Crew-11 return demonstrates the value of having crew return vehicles permanently docked at the station. Dragon Endeavour has been attached to the Harmony module’s zenith port since August 2025, ready for exactly this contingency.
NASA coverage of undocking and splashdown will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Following crew recovery, a media conference is scheduled for 5:45 AM EST on January 15.
The return will mark the end of Crew-11’s mission approximately three weeks ahead of schedule. Upon splashdown, the affected crew member will receive appropriate medical evaluation and care—the primary goal that prompted NASA’s decision to bring the team home early.
A Russian Soyuz rocket lifted a three person crew into orbit early Thursday, carrying one NASA astronaut and two Roscosmos cosmonauts to the International Space Station. Their arrival boosts the station’s population to ten as Expedition 73 prepares for its upcoming crew rotation and a busy stretch of science work.
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