Sophie Adenot Set to Launch on February 11

French astronaut Sophie Adenot is scheduled to launch on February 11. NASA has announced that the Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX will lift off at 11:00 UTC (12:00 in Paris) carrying the Crew-12 mission aboard the Freedom capsule.

Confirmation of this launch date has been eagerly awaited for weeks. Although an official announcement has yet to be released, circumstances appear to be aligning favorably. The Crew-12 team has been in quarantine for the past eight days at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. On Friday, February 6, the four astronauts will fly to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where they will complete their final days of quarantine. KSC, which hosts visitors for launches, has recently opened ticket sales for the February 11 event.

On Thursday, February 5, Sophie Adenot engaged in a discussion lasting over an hour and a half with representatives from the Élysée. The gathering included notable figures from the space community, as well as middle and high school students who had the opportunity to converse with the astronaut. Among those present were fellow astronauts Claudie Haigneré and Thomas Pesquet, reserve astronaut Arnaud Prost, and scientists Sylvestre Maurice and Patrick Michel. The session was facilitated by François Jacq, director of CNES, and concluded with President Macron wishing Adenot a successful launch on February 11.

Various locations will host events to follow the launch live, including the Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse. Further details on these events will be provided as they become available. The European Space Agency (ESA) is also expected to organize activities to monitor the launch.

For more information about Sophie Adenot's mission: Launching from February 11 – Countdown initiated for Sophie Adenot – εpsilon, the mission of Sophie Adenot.