Crew-12 nears ISS departure after eight months and suit checks
NASA's Crew-12 astronauts are completing final preparations aboard the ISS before returning in October, shortly after Crew-13 arrives. They checked their SpaceX spacesuits, finished biomedical, relaxation, and lunar landing simulation experiments, and practiced Dragon reentry procedures. Crew-13 is scheduled to launch Oct. 1 from Cape Canaveral.
Crew-12 launched in February and has spent about eight months aboard the ISS. Before returning in October, the four astronauts checked their SpaceX suits, completed biomedical, relaxation, and lunar-landing simulation work, and rehearsed Dragon reentry steps. They will hand remaining science tasks to Crew-13.
Crew-13 is set to lift off Oct. 1 at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center on a Falcon 9, with a backup the next day. Its crew includes Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk, and Sergey Teteryatnikov. The station’s orbit was also raised using Cygnus XL thrusters.
The Crew-12 departure and Crew-13 arrival could affect ISS research continuity, as experiments and samples pass between crews. Scientists and future astronauts may benefit from biomedical and lunar-simulation data, while SpaceX suit and Dragon checks may inform commercial spaceflight safety. Public coverage of launches and returns may also influence interest in space careers and science education.