- By Sakshi Srivastava
- Fri, 25 Jul 2025 11:09 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Crew 11: NASA and SpaceX are preparing for the Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), with launch slated no earlier than 12:09 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The mission marks the 11th science expedition under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, in partnership with SpaceX.
Meet The Crew-11 Astronauts
Crew-11 consists of four astronauts from three different space agencies:
1. Zena Cardman (NASA, US) – Mission Commander, on her maiden spaceflight
2. Mike Fincke (NASA, US)– Pilot, veteran astronaut making his fourth trip to space
3. Kimiya Yui (JAXA, Japan) – Mission Specialist, second ISS mission
4. Oleg Platonov (Roscosmos, Russia) – Mission Specialist, on his first spaceflight
These astronauts will relieve the Crew-10 team and kick off a six-month-long stay on the ISS, contributing to critical orbital research.
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Mission's Objective
The core purpose of Crew-11 is to continue the long-term human presence in space while advancing scientific research in microgravity environments. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program allows private partners like SpaceX to handle transportation, freeing NASA resources to focus on projects like the Artemis lunar missions and preparation for human exploration of Mars.
Reassignments And Delays
Crew-11 assignments were reshuffled due to the Boeing Starliner issues. Fincke and Yui were originally slated for Starliner missions that got delayed. Cardman was to fly with Crew-9 but was bumped when the Starliner capsule failed to return with its intended crew. As a result, Cardman and team were reassigned to Crew-11, while Wilmore and Williams (Starliner astronauts) returned to Earth aboard Crew-9’s Dragon capsule.
A Ride On The Dragon
SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, capable of carrying up to seven astronauts, will be used for the Crew-11 mission. Once the Falcon 9 rocket launches the crew into orbit, the Dragon will detach and independently navigate to the ISS using onboard thrusters.
Crew-10’s Return
Crew-11’s arrival will mark the beginning of the end for Crew-10, which includes:
1. NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain
2. JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi
3. Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov
The crew of NASA's SpaceX Cew-10 mission. (Image Source: NASA)
They arrived on March 16, 2025. After a short handover period, the four will return to Earth in the same Dragon capsule that brought them to orbit. Landing will be water-based off the coast of California, subject to weather clearance.
Who Else Is At The ISS?
Apart from Crew-10, Expedition 73 members are currently aboard the ISS: NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, Cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky. They joined the space station in April 2025 and will continue their duties during the Crew-11 transition.
