Crew-13 arrives at ISS on record flight as Crew-12 prepares to return home

The International Space Station has welcomed its newest crew after a record-setting flight, setting off a sequence of handovers that will see the previous team return to Earth next week.

The SpaceX Dragon carrying the Crew-13 mission docked with the orbital laboratory on 1 October, completing the journey in just 7 hours and 55 minutes. NASA and SpaceX confirmed the flight was the fastest launch-to-docking by an American spacecraft in the station's history.

A change of command in orbit

With the new crew safely aboard, the station held a formal change-of-command ceremony to mark the transition. NASA astronaut Jessica Meir handed over leadership of the ISS to Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov, signalling the official start of the new expedition's duties.

Meir and her fellow Crew-12 members are now preparing for their return flight. NASA and SpaceX are currently targeting their departure for Wednesday, 7 October at 1:05 a.m. EDT.

Mission managers are monitoring weather and splashdown conditions off the coast of California before giving the final go-ahead for the return journey.

Eight months of orbital science

Crew-12, which also includes NASA's Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, has been aboard the station since February. Their eight-month stay was heavily focused on scientific research designed to aid future long-duration space flight and improve medical treatments on Earth.

"The research this crew will conduct aboard the space station advances critical technologies for deep space exploration while delivering real benefits here on Earth," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said.

Among their key projects was an investigation into osteoporosis, a disease that affects more than 200 million people worldwide. Adenot worked with a wooden bone scaffold designed to mimic real bone structure, giving bone cells a medium to grow on in microgravity. Meanwhile, Hathaway used bone marrow cells to study how muscles and bones degrade during space travel.

Hathaway also tested for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a key safety concern for crews living in the sealed environment of a spacecraft.

Printing metal in microgravity

The departing crew also helped test manufacturing techniques for future space voyages. Adenot installed a metal 3D printer on the station, producing several small metal parts that have already been sent back to Earth for analysis. The crew also studied how to produce intravenous fluids on demand, which would reduce the weight of medical supplies on long journeys.

The research gathered by Crew-12 will support NASA's plans to return humans to the Moon. The space agency is preparing for its Artemis III test mission in 2027, followed by the crewed Artemis IV Moon landing in 2028.