Israeli-linked astronaut Meir set for SpaceX ISS flight

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, who has Swedish and Israeli heritage, will be among four crew members launching to the International Space Station as part of SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission.

The mission, scheduled to launch no earlier than Wednesday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, will be Meir’s second trip to orbit.

She first flew to the station in 2019, when she conducted groundbreaking spacewalks.

NASA officials say the SpaceX Crew‑12 team will spend a long‑duration mission aboard the outpost, conducting research and maintenance tasks.

Born in Caribou, Maine, Meir is the daughter of an Israeli father of Iraqi-Jewish descent and a Christian Swedish mother. According to a 2019 JTA profile, despite her mother not converting to Judaism, the family identified as Jewish and attended a local synagogue.

“Personally I’m not really a religious person,” she said, “but I think that my Jewish cultural background is obviously a big part of my culture and especially traditions.”

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