The launch of the mission to the International Space Station (ISS) involving French astronaut Sophie Adenot is confirmed for February 11, NASA announced Friday, February 6. The SpaceX rocket transporting the astronauts has been cleared for flight.

“Falcon 9 rockets are authorized to resume flights,” a FAA spokesperson told Agence France-Presse (AFP) after an issue arose with one of these rockets.

An anomaly identified during a satellite communication launch on Monday led SpaceX to suspend flights pending investigation, raising concerns about a potential delay in the crewed mission to the ISS.

A Return to Space for France After Decades

The Crew-12 crew, including Sophie Adenot, is scheduled to depart from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:01 a.m. Local time (12:01 p.m. Paris time) on Wednesday.

Backup launch windows are available on February 12 and 13, also in the early morning, in case of unfavorable weather conditions or last-minute technical issues on February 11.

This mission marks Sophie Adenot’s first spaceflight and the first for a French national since Claudie Haigneré’s flight in 1996. She will be joined by two American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut.

The Future of ISS Missions and International Collaboration

The quick resolution of the SpaceX rocket issue highlights the critical importance of ongoing safety checks and the collaborative efforts between space agencies and private companies. The ISS continues to rely on these partnerships for crew and cargo transport.

The investigation determined that the cause was likely a “failure to ignite” one of the engines, according to the FAA, which added that SpaceX had “identified preventative technical and organizational measures to prevent this incident from happening again.”