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ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot waves during the Crew-12 walkout at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 13 February 2026, ahead of launch to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
Sophie flies as Mission Specialist 1 on the Dragon spacecraft for her first long-duration mission, named \u03b5psilon. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 no earlier than 10:15 GMT \/ 11:15 CET (05:15 local time). She is joined by NASA astronauts Jessica Meir (commander) and Jack Hathaway (pilot), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev (Mission Specialist 2).<\/p>\n
The French ESA astronaut is the first member of the 2022 astronaut class, the Hoppers, to fly. During the \u03b5psilon mission, which may last up to nine months, she will conduct European-led scientific experiments and medical research, support Earth observation activities, and contribute to operations and maintenance aboard the Space Station.<\/p>\n
[Image description:<\/i>\u00a0ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot smiles and waves during the Crew-12 walkout at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 13 February 2026. She is wearing a white SpaceX spacesuit with a French flag patch on her upper arm and a clear helmet visor raised. Standing beside the transport vehicle, she greets onlookers ahead of launch to the International Space Station for her long-duration \u03b5psilon mission. The background features a blue banner with the words \u201cThis Way to Space,\u201d slightly out of focus.]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n