ESA Prepares for Live Coverage of Crew-12 Launch to International Space Station

The European Space Agency (ESA) is gearing up to broadcast the highly anticipated launch and docking of the Crew-12 mission, marking the start of a nine-month expedition aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The crew for this mission includes ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, alongside NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev.

The launch is set for Thursday, February 12, with liftoff scheduled at 10:38 GMT (11:38 CET / 05:38 EST) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In preparation for the event, ESA and the French space agency CNES will provide two live streams, one in English and the other in French. Audiences can look forward to a unique profile on Sophie Adenot, along with insights into the scientific work she will undertake during the mission. Live interviews will feature notable figures such as Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA; Daniel Neuenschwander, the agency’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration; Lionel Suchet, COO of CNES; and other experts.

Viewers can catch the live broadcast on ESA Web TV Two for the English stream or ESA Web TV Three for French. The broadcast will commence at 08:30 GMT (09:30 CET) on February 12, concluding approximately 25 minutes after launch once the Crew-12 team is confirmed to be in orbit.

Once in space, the crew’s journey to the ISS typically lasts around 24 hours, although this duration can fluctuate between 16 and 36 hours, influenced by the launch date and specific flight trajectory. If everything proceeds as planned on February 12, the Crew-12 team is anticipated to arrive at the space station by February 13, at 15:30 GMT (16:30 CET / 10:30 ET). ESA Web TV Two will also provide live coverage of the docking process and the subsequent welcome ceremony at the ISS.