SpaceX Falcon 9 is now vertical with Crew-12 Dragon spacecraft

The Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew-12 Dragon spacecraft now stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida, bringing NASA’s Crew-12 mission closer to launch. The visuals shared by the company show the rocket standing tall and steady under bright floodlights at night, with the white body, black sections, and NASA markings clear against the dark sky.

Teams began the rollout on February 7 and moved the Falcon 9 and Dragon from the processing hangar to the pad on a special transporter. The capsule had reached the pad hangar days earlier for final preparations.

Once at the site, the erector arm lifted the full stack to vertical position. This allows engineers to complete tests, connect systems, and prepare for fueling. The launch is planned no earlier than February 11 with backup dates to follow.

Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew-12 Dragon spacecraft now stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida (Source – SpaceX)

The Crew-12 astronauts are four experienced professionals. NASA astronaut Jessica Meir commands the flight. She has prior space station experience. NASA pilot Jack Hathaway joins her. Sophie Adenot from the European Space Agency and Andrey Fedyaev from Roscosmos complete the team as mission specialists.

The crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center this week. They landed on the former space shuttle runway in Florida. This marked the start of the final on-site activities.

They now follow strict pre-launch quarantine in the Astronaut Crew Quarters. This period limits outside contact to reduce the risk of illness. It protects the astronauts and the mission timeline. During quarantine, the team reviews procedures, fits suits, and rests. They recently finished intensive training in California.

Crew-12 will spend months on the station. They will run science experiments, maintain systems, and test technologies for future exploration. These efforts help understand long-duration spaceflight effects on humans.