Space Station Crew Launches Early After Moon Mission Delay

When NASA's moon mission got delayed, it created an unexpected silver lining for the International Space Station. Four astronauts are now racing to launch three weeks early, ready to restore full operations to the orbiting laboratory.

Commander Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, French astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will blast off Wednesday morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. They'll dock with the station Thursday morning, joining the three crew members who have been holding down the fort since January.

The station has been running with a skeleton crew of three since the previous four astronauts returned to Earth early due to a medical issue. That reduced team has kept everything running smoothly, but they've been stretched thin without backup for spacewalks or the full complement of experiments.

Meir spent her final days on Earth soaking up family time on the Florida beach. In a heartwarming video, she encouraged her three-year-old daughter as the little girl launched an air-propelled toy rocket into the sky. "My daughter's rocketry skills are on point!" Meir posted on social media. "Let's light this rocket!"

The launch got moved up when a hydrogen leak pushed the Artemis II moon mission to March. Rather than let the launch window sit idle, NASA accelerated the space station crew rotation to get operations back to normal faster.

The Bright Side

While the Crew 12 team missed getting a traditional in-space handover from their predecessors, they're more than prepared. Astronaut Chris Williams, who's been aboard since Thanksgiving, has the U.S. segment running perfectly and has briefed the incoming crew extensively.

Two of the four launching astronauts are spaceflight rookies. Hathaway flew F/A-18E fighter jets off aircraft carriers, while Adenot tested helicopters for the French Air Force. Both are bringing their military precision to their first journey beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Once the new crew settles in, the station will return to its full slate of scientific experiments. More importantly, NASA will regain the ability to conduct two-person spacewalks, which rely on the buddy system for safety during emergency repairs or routine maintenance outside the station.

The rocket stood tall at the launch pad over the weekend as SpaceX test-fired its engines before dawn Sunday. Everything checked out perfectly, setting the stage for Wednesday's early morning liftoff as the sun rises over the Atlantic.