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Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev Removed From SpaceX Crew-12 Over Alleged Photo Breach

Roscosmos cites a reassignment following reports of an ITAR-related investigation at SpaceX’s Hawthorne site.

Overview

  • Roscosmos confirmed Artemyev was transferred to other duties and named Andrey Fedyaev as his replacement on the Crew-12 flight.
  • Reports relayed by Space.com from The Insider allege Artemyev photographed SpaceX documentation and engines during training and exported the images via his phone.
  • Russian media cited launch analyst Georgy Trishkin saying a violation occurred and an interdepartmental investigation was initiated.
  • The Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center removed Artemyev from its roster of crews in training.
  • The Crew-12 mission is targeted to launch no earlier than Feb. 15 for an approximately six-month stay on the International Space Station.