Crew-12 Clears Final Hurdles Ahead of Wednesday Launch

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission has officially been given the green light following a successful Flight Readiness Review. The crew—comprising NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev—arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Friday evening to begin final launch preparations. Liftoff is now targeted for no earlier than 6:01 a.m. EST on Wednesday, February 11, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This will be only the second Commercial Crew mission to launch from SLC-40 instead of the usual Pad 39A, as SpaceX reallocates infrastructure for Starship development. The mission will deliver four new crew members to the International Space Station, where they’ll join Expedition 74 for several months of scientific research and station maintenance. Live coverage of the launch and autonomous docking will be streamed by NASA.

NASA Aims to Rebuild In-House Expertise Amid Workforce Shifts

In a strategic pivot, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has issued a directive to restore the agency’s “core competencies” and reduce its reliance on external contractors. This move follows the loss of approximately 20% of NASA’s civil servant workforce over the past year—a trend that has raised concerns about institutional knowledge and technical continuity. Isaacman’s plan, aligned with the U.S. Executive Order on Ensuring American Space Superiority, emphasizes bringing critical engineering and operational skills back in-house. The goal is to ensure NASA maintains control over key aspects of deep space exploration, including the Artemis programme and future lunar infrastructure. While partnerships with commercial entities like SpaceX and Boeing will continue, the agency intends to strengthen its internal capacity to manage complex missions independently. This shift could influence how future contracts are structured and how oversight is conducted across NASA centres.

Boreal Forests on the Move—Seen from Space

New research using decades of Landsat satellite data reveals that Canada’s boreal forests are shifting northward at an accelerating pace. As the planet’s largest terrestrial biome, the boreal forest is warming faster than any other forest ecosystem, prompting changes in tree species distribution and ecosystem dynamics. The data show that southern edges are experiencing increased stress from heat and pests, while northern regions are becoming more hospitable to tree growth. For Canadians, this isn’t just an abstract environmental trend—it affects wildfire patterns, Indigenous land use, carbon storage, and regional economies. NASA’s Earth Observing System, including the Landsat programme (a joint mission with the U.S. Geological Survey), continues to provide vital long-term monitoring that informs climate models and policy decisions. The imagery not only underscores the urgency of climate action but also highlights the value of sustained Earth observation from space—something Canada has long supported through partnerships and scientific collaboration.

Citations

• “NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 ‘Go’ For Launch” – https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/02/06/nasas-spacex-crew-12-go-for-launch/
• “NASA seeks to bolster workforce, reduce reliance on contractors” – https://spacenews.com/nasa-seeks-to-bolster-workforce-reduce-reliance-on-contractors/
• “Boreal Forests Are Shifting North” – https://science.nasa.gov/missions/landsat/boreal-forests-are-shifting-north/