Artemis 2 and Crew-12: NASA's scheduling ballet for lunar and ISS missions

NASA’s Artemis 2 mission around the Moon and SpaceX’s Crew-12 flight to the ISS face a delicate scheduling tango driven by Artemis 2’s wet-dress rehearsal results and an Arctic cold front; Crew-12’s earliest Feb. 11 launch depends on Artemis 2’s test outcome and could slip to Feb. 19 or March if delays occur, while Artemis 2 could launch as early as Feb. 8 or be pushed back. Artemis 2 will carry a four‑astronaut crew around the Moon for about 10 days, and Crew-12 will stay aboard the ISS for about eight months, performing microgravity experiments and lunar-landing tech studies. Both missions share recovery assets and logistics, underscoring the complex coordination required for coordinated human spaceflight.