A Russian cosmonaut has been removed from a SpaceX mission, with official confirmation coming from Roscosmos. Oleg Artemyev, a veteran Roscosmos cosmonaut, was set to fly on SpaceX Crew-12 to the International Space Station but has been replaced by Andrei Fedyayev. Roscosmos stated only that Artemyev was transferred to a different role, offering no reason for the swap. The move has circulated in multiple reports, including claims that Artemyev may have violated U.S. national security regulations during training by photographing sensitive SpaceX documents and technologies. The Insider, a Russian investigative outlet, cited a Russian spaceflight Telegram channel and other sources to support the allegations, which have been echoed by Space.com and Gizmodo in coverage of the broader story.
Crew-12 is NASA and SpaceX’s 11th human science expedition to the ISS. The mission, planned to launch from Florida in February, is expected to carry four international crew members, including two NASA astronauts who have not yet been publicly announced. In addition to Artemyev’s replacement, Andrei Fedyayev, French astronaut Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency is reported to be part of the crew. The mission is conducted under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, a framework that contracts SpaceX to transport astronauts and cargo to orbit, allowing NASA to prioritize other programs such as Artemis and future crewed missions beyond Earth.
SpaceX will launch Crew-12 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, with the crew riding in a Dragon crew capsule that separates from the rocket in orbit. NASA is also pursuing certification of Boeing’s Starliner capsule to provide a second operational vehicle for ISS missions as the station nears retirement around 2030.
The development comes amid other recent challenges for Russia’s space program, including damage to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad following a Soyuz MS-28 launch that sent a three-member crew to the ISS for an eight-month stay. Russian authorities indicated that the damage would be repaired promptly, and ongoing Russian missions to the ISS could be affected until repairs are completed.
Currently aboard the ISS are ten individuals, with some returning home soon. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky are scheduled to return to Earth in December, making room for replacements who arrive on the newer Soyuz MS-28 mission. The station still hosts participants from Crew-11, including NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA’s Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, as they continue their six-month stay while Crew-12 prepares to launch.
For readers: what do you think about ongoing international collaboration in space versus security concerns raised by training environments and document handling? Do you believe national security considerations should influence crew selection, or should scientific goals take precedence regardless of geopolitical tension?
