NASA and SpaceX are proceeding ahead of schedule with their next astronaut launch to the International Space Station, which is currently operating with a skeleton crew.

Watch views from the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that carried the Fram2 crew. It was the "first polar-orbit human spaceflight mission to explore Earth," according to SpaceX. Credit: SpaceX

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 team has entered a carefully controlled two-week quarantine as the countdown begins for their journey to the International Space Station. The four astronauts—representing NASA, the European Space Agency,

Crew-12 will fly to the orbiting laboratory aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA says it is reviewing options to move the launch earlier than its original target date of Sunday, Feb. 15.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 5:05 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Jan. 14, for the undocking of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission.

The four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission began their routine two-week quarantine on Wednesday at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston ahead of their upcoming launch to the International Space Station.

Expedition 74 conducts ongoing research, science hardware maintenance, and cargo operations aboard the ISS while preparing for the upcoming NASA SpaceX Crew-12 mission.

Crew-12 is scheduled to launch no earlier than 6 a.m. EST Wednesday, February 11, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Additional launch opportunities are available at 5:38 a.m. EST on Thursday, February 12, and 5:15 a.m. EST on Friday, February 13.

After more than five months in space, four astronauts on a mission known as Crew-11 are about to cut their mission short and return to Earth.

Explore the reusability of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft. This video showcases the innovative features and technology that enable successful landings and refurbishments for multiple missions.

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