Russian Cosmonaut’s Alleged Espionage: SpaceX Documents Leak & NASA Crew-12 Removal
Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev has been replaced by Andrey Fedyaev on SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station, due to allegations of photographing confidential SpaceX materials in California, potentially violating US export control rules. Artemyev reportedly took pictures of SpaceX engines and internal materials on his phone and removed them from the site, leading to his removal from training. Roscosmos officially cited a job transfer as the reason for the change, while the Crew-12 mission, using a Crew Dragon spacecraft, is scheduled for launch on February 15, 2026. SpaceX and NASA have not commented publicly on the reported investigation, which carries significant legal and diplomatic implications.
John Q. Hosedrinker