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\t\t\t\t\t\t14\/02\/2026<\/span> The SpaceX Dragon Freedom<\/i> capsule\u00a0carrying ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev, docked with the International Space Station on 14 February, at 20:15 GMT\/21:15 CET, marking the official start of ESA\u2019s \u03b5psilon mission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The crew of four were launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 10:15 GMT\/11:15 CET on Friday 13 February.<\/p>\n After spending about 34 hours orbiting Earth and catching up with the International Space Station, the members of Crew-12 prepared for docking. First-time flyers Sophie Adenot and Jack Hathaway, both with a test-pilot background, used this time to familiarise themselves with living and working in microgravity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Once the hatches were opened, Crew\u201112 was welcomed on board by NASA astronaut Christopher Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud\u2011Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, who have been on the Station since their arrival on a Soyuz in November 2025.<\/p>\n ESA\u2019s Sophie Adenot and NASA\u2019s Jack Hathaway then received their astronaut wings from Station Commander Sergei Kud\u2011Sverchkov during a short ceremony. Crew\u201112 also expressed their gratitude to the NASA and SpaceX teams for the smooth flight and shared their eagerness to begin work.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n With Sophie on board, the \u03b5psilon mission has officially started. Scheduled to last up to nine months, \u03b5psilon is set to become the longest ESA astronaut mission to date. During her time on the Station, Sophie will serve as crew specialist for both Columbus, the European laboratory module, and Kibo, the Japanese science module.<\/p>\n Sophie will conduct up to 36 experiments from Europe, including seven developed by CNES, the French space agency, specifically for the \u03b5psilon mission. Covering a wide range of scientific domains, from human physiology and climate research to technology demonstrations, research carried out on board the Station aims to benefit life on Earth and to support future exploration missions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cThe \u03b5psilon mission highlights ESA\u2019s commitment to maintaining a continuous human presence in low\u2011Earth orbit and related utilisation, starting with science. Sophie is the first career astronaut of the Class of 2022, the \u2018Hoppers\u2019, to fly,\u201d said ESA\u2019s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander.<\/p>\n \u201cShe transitioned directly from basic training to mission\u2011specific training and consistently performed above expectations. I am proud of the exceptional work carried out by Sophie and by our teams, a group of talented \u2018\u03b5psilon\u2019 making all this possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Sophie will share her mission from orbit via her\u00a0Instagram,\u00a0X<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook\u00a0and\u00a0LinkedIn\u00a0accounts. You can learn more about the \u03b5psilon mission, including the science that Sophie will perform, on ESA\u2019s\u00a0\u03b5psilon page.<\/p>\n Information on the \u03b5psilon mission:\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nReady to advance science<\/h2>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFollow the \u03b5psilon mission<\/h2>\n
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