Heading Home: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Concludes Station Science Mission
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission will conclude when the crew returns in early October 2026. The team includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission will conclude when the crew returns in early October 2026. The team includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. They are heading home from the International Space Station after supporting various scientific studies in microgravity.
Their research aims to benefit life on Earth and prepare humans for deep space missions. Key projects included growing cancer-targeting crystals to improve pharmaceuticals and using the Cold Atom Lab to advance quantum technologies. Crew members also tested wooden bone scaffolds to study bone regeneration, analyzed soft materials known as colloidal solids, and sequenced DNA to monitor antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Additional investigations focused on producing on-demand intravenous fluids, manufacturing metal parts with a 3D printer, and expanding stem cells for blood disease treatments. Furthermore, the crew studied engineered cartilage tissue, bone marrow cells, and microbial secrets to help protect future space explorers and patients on Earth.
Original publication: 3 October 2026 01:00
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