NASA, SpaceX to launch Crew-11 mission to the ISS

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NASA and SpaceX are set for the launch of the 11th operational crew rotation mission to the International Space Station under the Commercial Crew Program, Crew-11. Launch is scheduled for Thursday, July 31, at 12:09 PM EDT (16:09 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon Endeavour will deliver four new NASA, JAXA, and Roscosmos crew members to the floating laboratory for a multi-month stay as part of Expedition 73/74. Crew-11 will serve as Crew Dragon Endeavour‘s sixth flight to the Station and Falcon 9 booster B1094’s third flight to space. Following launch and stage separation, B1094 will perform a return-to-launch-site landing at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Endeavour and its crew will coast to the International Space Station (ISS) for several days, ultimately docking to the Harmony module’s zenith (space-facing) docking port at 3:12 AM EDT (7:12 UTC) on Saturday, Aug. 2. Crew-11 is expected to stay on the Station for eight to nine months, with a return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean scheduled for April 2026.

Following the arrival of Crew-11 at the ISS, the four-person crew of Crew-10 will enter Crew Dragon Endurance and return to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific on Aug. 6.

Crew-11’s astronauts and mission

Crew-11 is comprised of a four-person international crew, complete with astronauts from the United States and Japan, and a cosmonaut from Russia. Crew-11’s commander is NASA astronaut Zena Cardman. Born in Urbana, Illinois, in 1987, Cardman was selected to be a NASA astronaut in 2017 as part of the NASA Group 22 (“Turtles”) astronaut class. Before her astronaut selection, she attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology and a Master’s of Science degree in Marine Sciences. At the time of her selection, Cardman was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at the Pennsylvania State University.

At the University of North Carolina, she researched microbial systems in hydrocarbon seeps, hydrothermal vents, and the Arctic, and analyzed ecosystem changes in Antarctica. Cardman has also participated in NASA-sponsored research in British Columbia, the Canadian Arctic, Idaho, and Hawaii, where she developed architecture for future science-driven planetary extravehicular activities (EVA).

Crew-11 will serve as Cardman’s first flight to space, but not her first assignment. Cardman was initially assigned to the NASA/SpaceX Crew-9 mission as commander, which was scheduled to launch in September 2024. However, after NASA opted to return Boeing’s Starliner capsule from the Station without the two-person crew of the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, Cardman and fellow NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson were removed from Crew-9 to allow for the return of the Boeing CFT astronauts. Cardman was later reassigned to Crew-11 in March 2025.

Crew-11 commander and NASA astronaut Zena Cardman during training. (Credit: SpaceX)

Crew-11’s pilot is NASA astronaut Michael “Mike” Fincke. Born in Pennsylvania and selected as part of the NASA Group 16 (“The Sardines”) astronaut class, Crew-11 will serve as Fincke’s fourth flight into space. Fincke first flew to space on the Soyuz TMA-4 mission in 2004 as part of Expedition 9, and again in 2008 on Soyuz TMA-13 as part of Expedition 18. Fincke’s most recent flight was STS-134, the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour, in 2011, where he served as a mission specialist. In total, Fincke has accumulated 381 days, 15 hours, and 11 minutes in space.

Fincke holds degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, El Camino College, and the University of Houston. After graduating from Stanford with his Master’s degree, Fincke entered the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a Space Systems Engineer and Space Test Engineer at Los Angeles Air Force Base. Fincke also flew F-16 and F-15 aircraft as a Flight Test Engineer at Edwards and Eglin Air Force Bases. At the time of his astronaut selection, Fincke held the rank of colonel and had logged over 2,000 hours of flight time.

Following STS-134 and the completion of the Space Shuttle Program, Fincke became heavily involved in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP), serving as the Astronaut Office Chief of the Commercial Crew Branch from 2014 to 2019 and assisting Boeing and SpaceX with the development of the Starliner and Crew Dragon vehicles. In January 2019, NASA announced that Fincke would fly on the Boeing CFT mission. However, Fincke would be reassigned to the first operational Starliner mission, Boeing Starliner-1, in September 2022, before being reassigned once more to Crew-11 in March 2025.

Crew-11 pilot and NASA astronaut Mike Fincke. (Credit: SpaceX)

Joining Cardman and Fincke as mission specialists are Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Born in Kawakami, Nagano, Japan, Kimiya Yui is a member of the 2009 JAXA Group and NASA Group 20 (“The Chumps”) astronaut classes. Crew-11 will mark Yui’s second flight to space, having previously flown on the Soyuz TMA-17M mission in 2015 as part of Expedition 44/45. In total, Yui has accumulated 141 days, 16 hours, and nine minutes in space.

Yui, a graduate of the National Defense Academy of Japan, enrolled in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in 1992. During his time in the Japanese Air Force, Yui served as a test pilot, flying F-15 Eagle fighter jets. He also worked in the Air Staff Office’s Defense Planning Division. At the time of his astronaut selection, Yui held the rank of lieutenant colonel. Since joining JAXA, Yui has served as an aquanaut on the NEEMO 16 undersea exploration mission and the Chief of the JAXA Astronaut Corps.

The last of the four-person crew is Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, who will be making his first flight to space on Crew-11. Selected as part of the 17th Cosmonaut Group in 2018, Platonov was born in modern-day Chelyabinsk, Russia, and earned a degree in engineering from the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots, where he specialized in aircraft operation and air traffic management.

JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui (left) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov (right) during training. (Credit: SpaceX)

Upon graduation, Platonov entered the Russian Air Force and was stationed in Arytom, Primorsky Krai, Russia, where he trained as a pilot. By 2014, Platonov had advanced to a senior pilot and been appointed as commander of an aviation unit of the Russian Aerospace Forces. At the time of his cosmonaut selection by Roscosmos in 2018, Platonov had achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel.

After docking to the ISS on Aug. 2, the Crew-11 crew will be greeted by the current seven-member crew of Expedition 73, which is comprised of astronauts and cosmonauts from the Crew-10 and Soyuz MS-27 missions. Crew-10’s crew is made up of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. Soyuz MS-27 is comprised of Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, and NASA astronaut Jonny Kim.

Once fully onboard the Station and adjusted to their new home, the Crew-11 astronauts will begin performing a plethora of science experiments and Station maintenance activities. Cardman, Fincke, and Yui will conduct scientific research to prepare humans for exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. The crew is expected to simulate lunar landings, test vision-safeguarding strategies, and undertake other activities. Furthermore, the astronauts will investigate plant cell division, determine the effects of microgravity on bacteria-killing viruses, and produce human stem cells.

While onboard the Station, the crew will also welcome new crew members and many cargo resupply spacecraft. Soyuz MS-28 is expected to launch in November 2025 with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev, and NASA astronaut Christopher Williams. Meanwhile, several cargo resupply missions will fly to the ISS aboard SpaceX Cargo Dragon, Russian Progress, and Northrop Grumman Cygnus vehicles.

Crew-11’s spacecraft

As part of its CCP contract, SpaceX supplies both the rocket and capsule to be used for crewed missions. This mission will serve as the 13th human spaceflight mission under the CCP, as well as the 11th operational ISS mission and 19th overall crewed mission for SpaceX and Crew Dragon.

Crew-11’s four-person crew will ride to space atop SpaceX’s Crew Dragon C206 Endeavour. The capsule will be making its sixth flight to space — and to the ISS — on Crew-11 after a 515-day turnaround following Crew-8 last year. Endeavour first flew to space on the Demo-2 (DM-2) mission in May 2020 — the first crewed mission to launch from the United States since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011.

As is tradition with Dragon capsules, the first crews to fly in them name the capsule. Given that Endeavour‘s first flight was DM-2, it was the first capsule to receive a name. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley named the capsule in honor of Space Shuttle Endeavour, which they both flew on before Dragon. Crew-11’s pilot, Mike Fincke, is another NASA astronaut who will fly on Crew Dragon Endeavour that has also flown on Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Crew Dragon Endeavour arrives at LC-39A ahead of Crew-11’s launch. (Credit: SpaceX)

The other active Crew Dragon capsules are C207 Resilience, C210 Endurance, C212 Freedom, and C213 Grace. Crew Dragon Endurance is currently docked to the ISS as part of Crew-10.

SpaceX’s partially reusable Falcon 9 rocket will launch the crew to the ISS. Currently flying in its “Block 5” configuration, Falcon 9 flew for the first time in June 2010 and has since launched 511 missions to low-Earth orbit, the Moon, and beyond before Crew-11.

A two-stage medium-lift launch vehicle, Falcon 9 stands 69.8 m tall and 3.7 m wide. The reusable first stage booster features nine Merlin engines that produce 7,600 kilonewtons (kN) of thrust at liftoff. The first stage booster also features four landing legs and four grid fins for recovery. The Falcon 9 second stage features a single, vacuum-optimized Merlin engine that produces 934 kN of thrust. Both stages utilize liquid oxygen (LOX) and highly refined kerosene (RP-1) as propellants.

Falcon 9 booster B1094 will support this mission, flying on its third mission. The booster flew for the first time on April 29 and is the third-youngest booster in the fleet. B1094 has recently supported the Starlink Group 12-10 mission in April and the crewed Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) mission to the ISS in June.

B1094 launches the Ax-4 mission in June 2025. (Credit: Sawyer Rosenstein for NSF)

Crew-11 launch and docking timeline

Crew-11 is scheduled to launch on Thursday, July 31, at 12:09 PM EDT (16:09 UTC) from the historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. LC-39A has hosted 18 of SpaceX’s 19 crewed missions, with only Crew-9 launching from SpaceX’s other Florida launch site, Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS).

Falcon 9 and Endeavour rolled out to LC-39A from SpaceX’s Horizontal Integration Facility on July 27 and went vertical later that day. The following day, NASA, SpaceX, and the Crew-11 teams completed a full dress rehearsal of launch day activities, with the crew suiting up, riding out to the pad, and entering Endeavour.

Falcon 9 was expected to perform a static fire test later that evening following the dress rehearsal, but at T-57 seconds before the expected static fire, Falcon 9 auto-aborted, and the static fire was scrubbed. SpaceX, in a statement, stated that the abort was due to an error with the position indication of the transporter erector’s cradle arms. Fortunately, the arms performed as expected and no major anomalies occurred, allowing teams to complete the static fire test the following day on July 29.

On launch day, the launch countdown will begin several miles south of LC-39A, at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building (O&C). After suiting up in the O&C building and walking out to the media, a convoy of Teslas will depart the O&C building and drive to LC-39A. Once at the pad, the crew and the supporting closeout crew will scale the Fixed Service Structure tower and walk across the crew access arm to begin crew ingress procedures.

Crew ingress is expected to be completed by T-2:35:00 hours. Hatch closure is expected to occur 40 minutes later at T-1:55:00 hours. When the hatch is closed and leak checks are completed, the closeout crews will prepare the white room for launch and leave LC-39A.

SpaceX and NASA teams will then monitor Falcon 9, Endeavour, the crew, and the surrounding weather for the next hour before SpaceX’s Launch Director verifies that Falcon 9 is “go” for propellant loading at T-45:00 minutes. Soon after the “go” is given, the crew access arm will be retracted at T-42:00 minutes, and the launch escape system on Endeavour will be armed at T-39:00 minutes. With the launch escape system now armed, if an emergency that prevented crew egress were to occur, Endeavour’s launch escape system would be activated, safely flying the crew away from the pad.

Crew-11’s crew members during dress rehearsals in Florida. (Credit: SpaceX)

Falcon 9 utilizes super-chilled cryogenic propellants, and to ensure the propellants don’t boil off during pre-launch activities like crew ingress, SpaceX will begin fueling Falcon 9 closer to launch than previous crewed launch vehicles.

First stage LOX loading and RP-1 loading on both stages will begin at T-35:00 minutes. At T-16:00 minutes, second stage LOX loading will begin. Endeavour does not utilize RP-1 or LOX as propellants, and instead uses toxic but highly-storable hypergolic propellants for its launch escape system motors. Thus, the capsule is loaded with fuel days before launch.

Fueling will continue on both stages until T-07:00 minutes, when first stage engine chill begins. During engine chill, small amounts of the cryogenic propellants flow through the first-stage engines, ensuring the nine first stage engines aren’t subjected to intense thermal shock during ignition. At T-05:00 minutes, Endurance will transition to internal power.

Falcon 9 will be completely loaded with propellants at T-02:00 minutes and begin transitioning to internal power soon after.  The rocket’s flight computer will begin final prelaunch checks at T-01:00 minute, and propellant tanks will be pressurized to flight pressures.

Close-up of Endeavour and Falcon 9 on LC-39A. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF)

At T-00:45 seconds, assuming no vehicle, weather, or range issues, the SpaceX Launch Director will give the final “go” for launch. Falcon 9’s first stage engines will ignite at T-00:03 seconds, and at T0, Falcon 9, Endeavour, and Crew-11 will liftoff from LC-39A.

Falcon 9 and Crew-11 will experience maximum aerodynamic pressure (Max Q), or the moment at which aerodynamic and structural loads are at their greatest on the vehicle, at T+00:58 seconds into flight. After passing through Max Q and depleting most of its first stage propellants, B1094 will separate from the second stage and Endeavour at T+02:29 minutes. The upper stage Merlin Vacuum engine will ignite soon after, while B1094 flips and performs its boostback burn.

The booster will then continue to coast up to its apogee before beginning its descent back to the Cape. After performing an entry burn, B1094 will ignite its engines a final time as part of its landing burn, and softly touchdown on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1), located several miles south of LC-39A at CCSFS, at T+07:43 minutes after launch.

While B1094 performs its descent and recovery, Falcon 9’s second stage and Endeavour will continue to orbit, ultimately culminating in second stage engine cutoff (SECO) at T+08:46 minutes into flight. Endeavour and its crew will separate from the second stage nearly a minute later at T+09:37 minutes, beginning the multi-day journey to the ISS. Endeavour’s nosecone will deploy at T+10:25 minutes, exposing the docking port to the vacuum of space.

Immediately following deployment, Endeavour and SpaceX teams will perform orbit activation, in which the vehicle performs checkouts of its propulsion, life support, and thermal control systems. Over the next days, Dragon will periodically perform phasing burns to increase its orbital height and “catch up” to the ISS.

Crew Dragon Endurance approaches the ISS in March 2025 on the Crew-10 mission. (Credit: NASA)

Endeavour will begin its approach to the Station on Aug. 1, establishing a communication link with the Station and performing a final orbit raising delta-velocity burn to match its velocity with that of the ISS. The capsule will also establish relative navigation with the Station and align itself with the Harmony module’s zenith docking port. Once the capsule confirms a good alignment, it will initiate an autonomous approach to the Station and enter the orbiting laboratory’s “keep-out sphere.”

After slowly approaching the ISS over the next few hours, Endeavour and its crew will perform their final approach and autonomously dock to the Station at 3:12 AM EDT (07:12 UTC) on Aug. 2. Crew-11 and the Expedition 73 crew will then work to pressurize the docking area and open Dragon’s hatch, allowing the four crew members to begin their months-long stay on the ISS.

(Lead image: Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon Endeavour atop LC-39A before launch. Credit: Max Evans for NSF)

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