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NASA and SpaceX are set for the launch of the eleventh operational crew rotation mission to the Worldwide Area Station below the Business Crew Program, Crew-11. Liftoff is scheduled for 11:43 AM EDT (15:43 UTC) on Friday, Aug. 1, from Launch Advanced 39A (LC-39A) on the Kennedy Area Middle in Florida. Launch was initially scheduled for Thursday, July 31, however, following a climate violation, the launch was scrubbed at T-01:09 minutes.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon Endeavour will ship 4 new NASA, JAXA, and Roscosmos crew members to the floating laboratory for a multi-month keep as a part of Expedition 73/74. Crew-11 will function Crew Dragon Endeavour‘s sixth flight to the Station and Falcon 9 booster B1094’s third flight to house. Following launch and stage separation, B1094 will carry out a return-to-launch-site touchdown at SpaceX’s Touchdown Zone 1 on the Cape Canaveral Area Pressure Station.
Endeavour and its crew will coast to the Worldwide Area Station (ISS) for a number of days following launch, finally docking to the Concord module’s zenith (space-facing) docking port at 3:12 AM EDT (7:12 UTC) on Saturday, Aug. 2. Crew-11 is predicted to remain on the Station for eight to 9 months, with a return to Earth and splashdown within the Pacific Ocean scheduled for April 2026.
Following the arrival of Crew-11 on the ISS, the four-person crew of Crew-10 will enter Crew Dragon Endurance and return to Earth, splashing down within the Pacific on Aug. 6.
Crew-11’s astronauts and mission
Crew-11 is comprised of a four-person worldwide crew, full with astronauts from the US and Japan, and a cosmonaut from Russia. Crew-11’s commander is NASA astronaut Zena Cardman. Born in Urbana, Illinois, in 1987, Cardman was chosen to be a NASA astronaut in 2017 as a part of the NASA Group 22 (“Turtles”) astronaut class. Earlier than her astronaut choice, she attended the College of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the place she earned a Bachelor’s of Science diploma in Biology and a Grasp’s of Science diploma in Marine Sciences. On the time of her choice, Cardman was a Nationwide Science Basis Graduate Analysis Fellow on the Pennsylvania State College.
On the College of North Carolina, she researched microbial techniques in hydrocarbon seeps, hydrothermal vents, and the Arctic, and analyzed ecosystem modifications in Antarctica. Cardman has additionally participated in NASA-sponsored analysis in British Columbia, the Canadian Arctic, Idaho, and Hawaii, the place she developed structure for future science-driven planetary extravehicular actions (EVA).
Crew-11 will function Cardman’s first flight to house, however not her first project. Cardman was initially assigned to the NASA/SpaceX Crew-9 mission as commander, which was scheduled to launch in September 2024. Nevertheless, after NASA opted to return Boeing’s Starliner capsule from the Station with out the two-person crew of the Boeing Crew Flight Take a look at (CFT) mission, Cardman and fellow NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson had been faraway from Crew-9 to permit 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 throughout coaching. (Credit score: SpaceX)
Crew-11’s pilot is NASA astronaut Michael “Mike” Fincke. Born in Pennsylvania and chosen as a part of the NASA Group 16 (“The Sardines”) astronaut class, Crew-11 will function Fincke’s fourth flight into house. Fincke first flew to house on the Soyuz TMA-4 mission in 2004 as a part of Expedition 9, and once more in 2008 on Soyuz TMA-13 as a part of Expedition 18. Fincke’s most up-to-date flight was STS-134, the ultimate flight of Area Shuttle Endeavour, in 2011, the place he served as a mission specialist. In complete, Fincke has gathered 381 days, 15 hours, and 11 minutes in house.
Fincke holds levels from the Massachusetts Institute of Expertise, Stanford College, El Camino Faculty, and the College of Houston. After graduating from Stanford along with his Grasp’s diploma, Fincke entered the U.S. Air Pressure, the place he served as a Area Methods Engineer and Area Take a look at Engineer at Los Angeles Air Pressure Base. Fincke additionally flew F-16 and F-15 plane as a Flight Take a look at Engineer at Edwards and Eglin Air Pressure Bases. On the time of his astronaut choice, Fincke held the rank of colonel and had logged over 2,000 hours of flight time.
Following STS-134 and the completion of the Area Shuttle Program, Fincke grew to become closely concerned in NASA’s Business Crew Program (CCP), serving because the Astronaut Workplace Chief of the Business Crew Department from 2014 to 2019 and helping Boeing and SpaceX with the event of the Starliner and Crew Dragon automobiles. In January 2019, NASA introduced that Fincke would fly on the Boeing CFT mission. Nevertheless, Fincke could be reassigned to the primary operational Starliner mission, Boeing Starliner-1, in September 2022, earlier than being reassigned as soon as extra to Crew-11 in March 2025.
Crew-11 pilot and NASA astronaut Mike Fincke. (Credit score: SpaceX)
Becoming a member of Cardman and Fincke as mission specialists are Japanese Aerospace Exploration Company (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 courses. Crew-11 will mark Yui’s second flight to house, having beforehand flown on the Soyuz TMA-17M mission in 2015 as a part of Expedition 44/45. In complete, Yui has gathered 141 days, 16 hours, and 9 minutes in house.
Yui, a graduate of the Nationwide Protection Academy of Japan, enrolled within the Japan Air Self-Protection Pressure in 1992. Throughout his time within the Japanese Air Pressure, Yui served as a take a look at pilot, flying F-15 Eagle fighter jets. He additionally labored within the Air Employees Workplace’s Protection Planning Division. On the time of his astronaut choice, Yui held the rank of lieutenant colonel. Since becoming a member of JAXA, Yui has served as an aquanaut on the NEEMO 16 undersea exploration mission and the Chief of the JAXA Astronaut Corps.
The final of the four-person crew is Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, who shall be making his first flight to house on Crew-11. Chosen as a part of the seventeenth Cosmonaut Group in 2018, Platonov was born in modern-day Chelyabinsk, Russia, and earned a level in engineering from the Krasnodar Increased Navy Aviation College of Pilots, the place he specialised in plane operation and air site visitors administration.
JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui (left) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov (proper) throughout coaching. (Credit score: SpaceX)
Upon commencement, Platonov entered the Russian Air Pressure and was stationed in Arytom, Primorsky Krai, Russia, the place he skilled as a pilot. By 2014, Platonov had superior to a senior pilot and been appointed as commander of an aviation unit of the Russian Aerospace Forces. On the time of his cosmonaut choice by Roscosmos in 2018, Platonov had achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel.
After docking to the ISS on Aug. 2, the Crew-11 crew shall be greeted by the present 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.
As soon as totally onboard the Station and adjusted to their new house, the Crew-11 astronauts will start performing a plethora of science experiments and Station upkeep actions. Cardman, Fincke, and Yui will conduct scientific analysis to arrange people for exploration past low-Earth orbit. The crew is predicted to simulate lunar landings, take a look at vision-safeguarding methods, and undertake different actions. Moreover, the astronauts will examine plant cell division, decide the consequences of microgravity on bacteria-killing viruses, and produce human stem cells.
Whereas onboard the Station, the crew may also welcome new crew members and plenty of cargo resupply spacecraft. Soyuz MS-28 is predicted to launch in November 2025 with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev, and NASA astronaut Christopher Williams. In the meantime, a number of cargo resupply missions will fly to the ISS aboard SpaceX Cargo Dragon, Russian Progress, and Northrop Grumman Cygnus automobiles.
High Left: Zena Cardman, Commander (NASA)
High Proper: Mike Fincke, Pilot (NASA)
Backside Left: Kimiya Yui, mission specialist (JAXA)
Backside Proper: Oleg Platonov, mission specialist (Roscosmos) pic.twitter.com/PKGapafXVq— Max Evans (@_mgde_) July 26, 2025
Crew-11’s spacecraft
As a part of its CCP contract, SpaceX provides each the rocket and capsule for use for crewed missions. This mission will function the thirteenth human spaceflight mission below the CCP, in addition to the eleventh operational ISS mission and nineteenth general crewed mission for SpaceX and Crew Dragon.
Crew-11’s four-person crew will experience to house atop SpaceX’s Crew Dragon C206 Endeavour. The capsule shall be making its sixth flight to house — and to the ISS — on Crew-11 after a 515-day turnaround following Crew-8 final 12 months. Endeavour first flew to house on the Demo-2 (DM-2) mission in Might 2020 — the primary crewed mission to launch from the US because the retirement of the Area Shuttle in 2011.
As is custom with Dragon capsules, the primary crews to fly in them identify the capsule. On condition that Endeavour‘s first flight was DM-2, it was the primary capsule to obtain a reputation. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley named the capsule in honor of Area Shuttle Endeavour, which they each flew on earlier than Dragon. Crew-11’s pilot, Mike Fincke, is one other NASA astronaut who will fly on Crew Dragon Endeavour that has additionally flown on Area Shuttle Endeavour.
Crew Dragon Endeavour arrives at LC-39A forward of Crew-11’s launch. (Credit score: SpaceX)
The opposite energetic Crew Dragon capsules are C207 Resilience, C210 Endurance, C212 Freedom, and C213 Grace. Crew Dragon Endurance is at the moment docked to the ISS as a part of Crew-10.
SpaceX’s partially reusable Falcon 9 rocket will launch the crew to the ISS. At present flying in its “Block 5” configuration, Falcon 9 flew for the primary time in June 2010 and has since launched 511 missions to low-Earth orbit, the Moon, and past earlier than Crew-11.
A two-stage medium-lift launch automobile, Falcon 9 stands 69.8 m tall and three.7 m extensive. The reusable first stage booster options 9 Merlin engines that produce 7,600 kilonewtons (kN) of thrust at liftoff. The primary stage booster additionally options 4 touchdown legs and 4 grid fins for restoration. The Falcon 9 second stage contains a single, vacuum-optimized Merlin engine that produces 934 kN of thrust. Each phases make the most of liquid oxygen (LOX) and extremely refined kerosene (RP-1) as propellants.
Falcon 9 booster B1094 will help this mission, flying on its third mission. The booster flew for the primary time on April 29 and is the third-youngest booster within the fleet. B1094 has not too long ago 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 score: Sawyer Rosenstein for NSF)
Crew-11 launch and docking timeline
Crew-11 is scheduled to launch on Friday, Aug. 1, at 11:43 AM EDT (15:43 UTC) from the historic Launch Advanced 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Area Middle in Florida. LC-39A has hosted 18 of SpaceX’s 19 crewed missions, with solely Crew-9 launching from SpaceX’s different Florida launch web site, Area Launch Advanced 40 (SLC-40) on the Cape Canaveral Area Pressure 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 next day, NASA, SpaceX, and the Crew-11 groups accomplished a full gown rehearsal of launch day actions, with the crew suiting up, driving out to the pad, and getting into Endeavour.
Falcon 9 was anticipated to carry out a static hearth take a look at later that night following the gown rehearsal, however at T-57 seconds earlier than the anticipated static hearth, Falcon 9 auto-aborted, and the static hearth was scrubbed. SpaceX, in a press release, said that the abort was resulting from an error with the place indication of the transporter erector’s cradle arms. Luckily, the arms carried out as anticipated and no main anomalies occurred, permitting groups to finish the static hearth take a look at the next day on July 29.
After some delays, SpaceX groups have accomplished a static hearth take a look at of Falcon 9 at LC-39A forward of the Crew-11 mission to the ISS, at the moment scheduled for Thursday at 12:09pm native time.
Awaiting official phrase on the take a look at’s consequence.
📸 – @NASASpaceflight
📺 -… pic.twitter.com/tHVVQAyHZm
— Max Evans (@_mgde_) July 29, 2025
On launch day, the launch countdown will start a number of miles south of LC-39A, on the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Constructing (O&C). After suiting up within the O&C constructing and strolling out to the media, a convoy of Teslas will depart the O&C constructing and drive to LC-39A. As soon as on the pad, the crew and the supporting closeout crew will scale the Mounted Service Construction tower and stroll throughout the crew entry arm to start crew ingress procedures.
Crew ingress is predicted to be accomplished by T-2:35:00 hours. Hatch closure is predicted to happen 40 minutes later at T-1:55:00 hours. When the hatch is closed and leak checks are accomplished, the closeout crews will put together the white room for launch and go away LC-39A.
SpaceX and NASA groups will then monitor Falcon 9, Endeavour, the crew, and the encircling climate for the following hour earlier than SpaceX’s Launch Director verifies that Falcon 9 is “go” for propellant loading at T-45:00 minutes. Quickly after the “go” is given, the crew entry arm shall be retracted at T-42:00 minutes, and the launch escape system on Endeavour shall be armed at T-39:00 minutes. With the launch escape system now armed, if an emergency that prevented crew egress had been to happen, Endeavour’s launch escape system could be activated, safely flying the crew away from the pad.
Crew-11’s crew members throughout gown rehearsals in Florida. (Credit score: SpaceX)
Falcon 9 makes use of super-chilled cryogenic propellants, and to make sure the propellants don’t boil off throughout pre-launch actions like crew ingress, SpaceX will start fueling Falcon 9 nearer to launch than earlier crewed launch automobiles.
First stage LOX loading and RP-1 loading on each phases will start at T-35:00 minutes. At T-16:00 minutes, second stage LOX loading will start. Endeavour doesn’t make the most of RP-1 or LOX as propellants, and as a substitute makes use of poisonous however highly-storable hypergolic propellants for its launch escape system motors. Thus, the capsule is loaded with gas days earlier than launch.
Fueling will proceed on each phases till T-07:00 minutes, when first stage engine chill begins. Throughout engine chill, small quantities of the cryogenic propellants stream by the first-stage engines, making certain the 9 first stage engines aren’t subjected to intense thermal shock throughout ignition. At T-05:00 minutes, Endurance will transition to inside energy.
Falcon 9 shall be utterly loaded with propellants at T-02:00 minutes and start transitioning to inside energy quickly after. The rocket’s flight pc will start ultimate prelaunch checks at T-01:00 minute, and propellant tanks shall be pressurized to flight pressures.
Shut-up of Endeavour and Falcon 9 on LC-39A. (Credit score: Max Evans for NSF)
At T-00:45 seconds, assuming no automobile, climate, or vary points, the SpaceX Launch Director will give the ultimate “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 expertise most aerodynamic stress (Max Q), or the second at which aerodynamic and structural masses are at their biggest on the automobile, at T+00:58 seconds into flight. After passing by 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 higher stage Merlin Vacuum engine will ignite quickly after, whereas B1094 flips and performs its boostback burn.
The booster will then proceed to coast as much as its apogee earlier than starting its descent again to the Cape. After performing an entry burn, B1094 will ignite its engines a ultimate time as a part of its touchdown burn, and softly landing on Touchdown Zone 1 (LZ-1), situated a number of miles south of LC-39A at CCSFS, at T+07:43 minutes after launch.
Sundown at pad 39A pic.twitter.com/gSr01sEoVa
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 28, 2025
Whereas B1094 performs its descent and restoration, Falcon 9’s second stage and Endeavour will proceed to orbit, finally culminating in second stage engine cutoff (SECO) at T+08:46 minutes into flight. Endeavour and its crew will separate from the second stage practically a minute later at T+09:37 minutes, starting 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 house.
Instantly following deployment, Endeavour and SpaceX groups will carry out orbit activation, by which the automobile performs checkouts of its propulsion, life help, and thermal management techniques. Over the following days, Dragon will periodically carry out phasing burns to extend its orbital peak and “catch up” to the ISS.
Crew Dragon Endurance approaches the ISS in March 2025 on the Crew-10 mission. (Credit score: NASA)
Endeavour will start its method to the Station on Aug. 1, establishing a communication hyperlink with the Station and performing a ultimate orbit elevating delta-velocity burn to match its velocity with that of the ISS. The capsule may also set up relative navigation with the Station and align itself with the Concord module’s zenith docking port. As soon as the capsule confirms a great alignment, it should provoke an autonomous method to the Station and enter the orbiting laboratory’s “keep-out sphere.”
After slowly approaching the ISS over the following few hours, Endeavour and its crew will carry out their ultimate method and autonomously dock to the Station. Crew-11 and the Expedition 73 crew will then work to pressurize the docking space and open Dragon’s hatch, permitting the 4 crew members to start their months-long keep on the ISS.
(Lead picture: Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon Endeavour atop LC-39A earlier than launch. Credit score: Max Evans for NSF)
