A fresh team of astronauts blasted off Friday for the International Space Station (ISS), replacing crew members who returned to Earth early in NASA’s first-ever medical evacuation during a human spaceflight mission.
At NASA’s request, SpaceX launched the new crew as quickly as possible from Cape Canaveral, sending American astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot and Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev on a mission expected to last eight to nine months, through the fall. The quartet is scheduled to dock with the orbiting laboratory on Saturday, restoring the station to full staffing after last month’s emergency return.
Launch controllers jokingly called Friday the 13th a lucky day once the spacecraft reached orbit. Commander Jessica Meir described the ascent as an exhilarating ride.
While waiting for the replacements, NASA paused spacewalks and postponed other activities. The incoming crew will join three astronauts — one American and two Russians — who have kept operations running aboard the ISS over the past month.
Confident in existing medical protocols, NASA did not require extra health screenings before launch or send additional diagnostic gear. An onboard ultrasound machine had been heavily used in early January to examine the sick astronaut, whose identity and condition remain undisclosed. After splashing down near San Diego, all four evacuated crew members were taken directly to a hospital.
The early return marked the first time in 65 years of human spaceflight that NASA ended a mission for medical reasons.
As missions grow longer, NASA continues evaluating upgrades to the station’s medical capabilities, though some situations still require bringing astronauts back to Earth, officials said.
The new arrivals will conduct several health-related experiments aimed at preparing for deep-space missions, including testing a device that converts drinking water into emergency IV fluid, evaluating an AI-assisted ultrasound system, and studying blood clots by scanning their jugular veins. They will also rehearse lunar landing procedures amid growing anticipation for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the moon in more than 50 years.
Adenot becomes only the second French woman to travel to space, inspired as a teenager by Claudie Haigneré’s 1996 mission to Russia’s Mir station. Hathaway and Adenot are first-time space travelers, while Meir and Fedyaev are on their second ISS missions. During her 2019 flight, Meir participated in the first all-female spacewalk alongside Christina Koch, who is now assigned to Artemis II.
The crew launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as SpaceX continues preparing facilities at nearby Kennedy Space Center for its larger Starship rockets, which NASA plans to use for future lunar landings.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said additional fueling tests are underway for the Space Launch System rocket at the Artemis launch pad after recent hydrogen leaks prompted seal replacements. No official launch date for Artemis II will be set until testing is complete, though the earliest possible liftoff could come in early March, he said.