ISS Back to Full Strength, Artemis 2 Battles Hydrogen Leaks, and Enceladus Goes Electromagnetic

• Crew-12 Docks at ISS — The SpaceX Crew-12 mission docked at the International Space Station on Valentine’s Day, restoring the station to full strength after over a month with a skeleton crew. Astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev join Expedition 74 for an eight-month mission. • Artemis 2 Hydrogen Leak Update — NASA’s “confidence test” on the SLS rocket’s repaired hydrogen fueling seals showed mixed but cautiously encouraging results. March remains the earliest potential launch window for humanity’s first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years. • Enceladus: Electromagnetic Powerhouse — A major new study of 13 years of Cassini data reveals Saturn’s tiny moon Enceladus generates Alfvén waves extending over 504,000 km, transforming our understanding of how small moons influence giant planetary magnetospheres. • Catching 3I/ATLAS — Researchers from the Initiative for Interstellar Studies propose a Solar Oberth Manoeuvre mission launching in 2035 that could intercept the interstellar comet, currently heading toward Jupiter for its closest pass on March 16. • Geomagnetic Storm Watch — G1 minor storming is likely today as a coronal mass ejection arrives alongside fast solar wind from a returning transequatorial coronal hole. Aurora possible at higher latitudes tonight. • SpaceX Starlink 6-103 — 29 Starlink V2 Mini satellites launched to orbit in the early hours of today, the 10th orbital flight from Cape Canaveral in 2026. LINKS & RESOURCES: • NASA Crew-12 Docking: https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/02/14/spacex-crew-12-docks-to-station-beginning-long-duration-mission/ • Artemis 2 Confidence Test Update: https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/02/13/following-confidence-test-nasa-continues-artemis-ii-data-review/ • Enceladus Alfvén Wings Study: https://phys.org/news/2026-02-tiny-enceladus-giant-electromagnetic-saturn.html • 3I/ATLAS Solar Oberth Paper: https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-new-concept-for-catching-up-with-3iatlas • Space Weather Updates: https://earthsky.org/sun/sun-news-activity-solar-flare-cme-aurora-updates/ • Spaceflight Now Launch Schedule: https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ Astronomy Daily is part of the Bitesz.com Podcast Network Website: https://astronomydaily.io Social: @AstroDailyPod

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