Context:

Jessica Meir, an American astronaut and mother, is set to take her three-year-old daughter's stuffed rabbit on the upcoming SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), highlighting the personal connection astronauts maintain with their families. The mission, scheduled for launch from Florida, will replace Crew-11, which returned early due to a historic medical evacuation. Meir, who has previously participated in groundbreaking spacewalks, faces the emotional challenge of an eight-month separation from her young child. The ISS, continuously inhabited for 25 years, is expected to be decommissioned by 2030. Meir hopes her mission will inspire her daughter and others around the world.

Dive Deeper:

• Jessica Meir, 48, previously served as a flight engineer for an expedition to the ISS from 2019-2020 and was part of the first all-female spacewalks.

• The stuffed rabbit serves as a sentimental reminder for Meir and her daughter, as one rabbit will remain on Earth while the other accompanies her in space.

• The Crew-12 mission will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, early on Wednesday.

• Crew-11's early return in January was a significant event as it marked the first medical evacuation in ISS history.

• The ISS, which has been continuously inhabited for a quarter-century, is scheduled to be deorbited and crash in the Pacific Ocean in 2030.

• The other members of the Crew-12 mission include Jack Hathaway from NASA, Sophie Adenot from the European Space Agency, and Andrey Fedyaev from Russia.