Crew-11 Mission ‘Embodies Teamwork Across Nations’

August 1, 2025

During the evencing of July 27, 2025, he SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft roll horizontally to its launch pad from the company’s hanger at the foot of Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. According to NASA, the mission patch “embodies teamwork, exploration, and the deep connections that bind us -- across nations, agencies, and families. Shades of white, red, and blue pay tribute to the flags of the three nations represented by the crew, while three gold stars symbolize the unity of our three space agencies working together in pursuit of discovery.” — During the evencing of July 27, 2025, he SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft roll horizontally to its launch pad from the company’s hanger at the foot of Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. According to NASA, the mission patch “embodies teamwork, exploration, and the deep connections that bind us — across nations, agencies, and families. Shades of white, red, and blue pay tribute to the flags of the three nations represented by the crew, while three gold stars symbolize the unity of our three space agencies working together in pursuit of discovery.” Photo credit: SpaceX/Ben Cooper & NASA (Mission Patch)

By Bob Granath

At 11:43 a.m. EDT on Aug. 1, 2025, a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft launched with four astronauts representing space agencies from three nations. They plan a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station, continuing research aboard the orbital laboratory. What is learned in space also will benefit humans living on and off the Earth as well as help NASA prepare for long-term operations on and around the Moon and eventual exploration of Mars.

Employees at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center along with news media photographers watch the liftoff of Crew-11 on Aug. 1, 2025. The four astronauts are on their way for a mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChonocle.com/Bob Granath

A launch attempt on July 31 was postponed due to unfavorable weather typical of central Florida in the summer. NASA and SpaceX launch crews were able to reschedule for a one-day turnaround.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia lifted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center . Once in orbit, the flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon was handed off to the company’s mission control center in Hawthorne, California. Flight controllers monitor the autonomous maneuvers leading to the spacecraft docking to the space station’s Harmony module.

In an Instagram post, Crew-11 commander Cardman said that she felt honored to be part of the Crew-11 team.

“With more destinations and vehicles than ever,” she said, “human spaceflight needs team players and operators with diverse skillsets.”

Crew-11 pilot Fincke, a veteran of three previous spaceflights, also spoke of the importance of ongoing cooperative efforts.

“I’m ready to fly with a fantastic team to a place that still inspires awe every day,” he said.

NASA astronauts for the SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station arrived at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on July 26, 2025. From the left are Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChonocle.com/Bob Granath

After docking their spacecraft to the forward port on the space station, Crew-11 will continue the agency’s Commercial Crew Program as part of the International Space Station’s Expedition 73. With others aboard the space station, they will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future missions.

Following the arrival of the latest crew, a handover process will allow Crew-10 astronauts to transition space station activities to Crew-11. The transfer will mark the beginning of Expedition 73. Shortly thereafter, Crew-10 astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers of NASA, along with JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov of Russia will return to Earth, splashing down at a site off the Florida coast.

The Expedition 73 crew also will include NASA astronaut Jonny Kim along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Aleksei Zubritsky who arrived at the space station on April 8, 2025 aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The Crew

Cardman, who is making her first flight into space, previously was assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission. Fincke earlier was named to NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission. According to a NASA news release, the agency “decided to reassign the astronauts to Crew-11 in overall support of planned activities aboard the International Space Station. Cardman carries her experience training as a commander on Dragon spacecraft, and Fincke brings long-duration spaceflight experience to this crew complement.”

*On Jan. 26, 2024, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman conducts cold transfer training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel*

Cardman grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia. She was awarded a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s in marine sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At the time she was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017, she was conducting research in geobiology and geochemical cycling focused on subsurface environments. Geobiology is the study of the interactions between the living organisms and the Earth’s surface and interior. She also was working on a doctor’s degree in Geosciences.

Prior to the launch, Cardman spoke of the “adventures ahead.”

*During STS-134 in May and June 2011, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke works on the aft flight deck of Space Shuttle Endeavour while docked with the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA*

“We’re almost ready,” she said. “It’s a joy training with this crew. (We’re) looking forward to joining our expedition crewmates on board the International Space Station.”

Born in Pittsburgh, Fincke considers its suburb Emsworth, Pennsylvania to be his hometown. He earned bachelor’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in both aeronautics and astronautics, as well as Earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences. He went on to receive a master’s in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University in 1990, and a second masters in planetary geology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2001.

*Kimiya Yui spent approximately 142 days aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer during Expeditions 44 and 45 in 2015. Photo credit: NASA*

After graduating from Stanford, Fincke joined the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to the Air Force Space and Missiles Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base. He served as a Space Systems Engineer and a Space Test Engineer. He also graduated from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. NASA selected Fincke as an astronaut in April 1996. In 2004, he spent 188 days aboard the International Space Station and, in 2008, completed a 178-day stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. In 2011, he was a member of the next to last Space Shuttle mission – STS-134.

“In 2011, I landed on Space Shuttle Endeavour with my incredible STS-134 crewmates,” he said. “Serving alongside such talented, dedicated teammates was an honor. Now, 14 years later, I’m training with another outstanding crew for a long-duration mission to the International Space Station.”

A native of Kawakami, Nagano, Japan, Crew-11 will be Yui’s second trip to the space station. In 1992, he graduated from Japan’s School of Science and Engineering at the National Defense Academy. He later joined the Air Self-Defense Force at the Japan Defense Agency. In 2008, He later joined the Air Staff Office at the Ministry of Defense as a lieutenant colonel.

*Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov conducts training for Crew-11 in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center on March 18, 2025. Photo credit: NASA/David DeHoyos*

After Yui was selected as a JAXA astronaut in 2009, he flew as a flight engineer for Expedition 44/45. During the mission, he became the first Japanese astronaut to capture JAXA’s H-II Transfer Vehicle resupply spacecraft using the station’s robotic arm. In 2016, Yui was selected to serve as chief of JAXA’s Astronaut Group. Looking ahead to his return to the space station, he spoke of the spectacular view from space.

“The moment when the Moon, aurora, constellations, shooting stars and above all, my home Earth, all collaborate is a scene that is difficult to describe in words and directly touches my heart,” he said. “I’m sure it’s a gift from God.”

Crew-11 will be Platonov’s first flight into space. He was born in Chelyabinsk, Russia. He was awarded a degree in aircraft operations engineering and Air Traffic Management from the Krasnodar Air Force Academy. Additionally, in 2016 he also earned a bachelor’s degree in state and municipal management from the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia. Platonov was selected as a cosmonaut in 2018.

Inside SpaceX’s Hangar X at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on April 25, 2025, the four members of NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission pose with their 229-foot Falcon 9 rocket. From left are Oleg Platonov, Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman and Kimiya Yui. — Inside SpaceX’s Hangar X at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on April 25, 2025, the four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission pose with their 229-foot Falcon 9 rocket. From left are Oleg Platonov, Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman and Kimiya Yui. Photo credit: SpaceX/Ben Cooper

The Spacecraft

The SpaceX Crew Dragon is an autonomous spacecraft designed to deliver a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth orbit. The capsule is 27 feet high and 13 feet in diameter. The capsule’s trunk is an integral element of the spacecraft, containing solar panels, heat-removal radiators, and fins to provide aerodynamic stability in the unlikely event of an emergency abort.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for the Crew-11 mission rolls into the company’s hanger at the foot of Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. — *The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for the Crew-11 mission rolls into the company’s hanger at the foot of Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: SpaceX*

For NASA trips to the International Space Station, the Crew Dragon can carry from four to seven NASA-sponsored crewmembers and return astronauts with about 6,600 pounds of time-critical scientific research experiments and equipment.

The Falcon 9 launch vehicle is 229 feet tall and is 12 feet in diameter. The first stage has nine engines generating 1,710,000 pounds of thrust. The second stage has one engine with 210,000 pounds of thrust. Propellant for both stages are RP-1, highly refined kerosene, and liquid oxygen. Like the Crew Dragon spacecraft, the first stage of the rocket is reusable. The Falcon 9 first stage returns to either a landing pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station or a SpaceX drone ship off shore.

The Mission

From the left, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov conduct training scenarios on March 20, 2025 inside a space station mockup for their upcoming mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/David DeHoyos

During space station Expeditions 73 and 74, the crews will conduct scientific experiments and technology demonstrations, including studies of plant cell division and microgravity’s effects on bacteria-killing viruses. Additionally, they will perform investigations into generating on-demand nutrients and producing a higher volume of human stem cells. Studies of stem cells hold immense value in scientific research and potential therapeutic applications due to their unique ability to differentiate into various cell types and potentially regenerate damaged tissues.

After the completion of their mission in March 2026, Cardman, Fincke, Yui and Platonov will complete a handover to Crew-12 — Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir of NASA, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot of France and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev of Russia.

Dragon, with its four Crew-11 crewmembers, will autonomously undock, depart the space station, and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. After splashdown off Florida’s coast, a SpaceX recovery vessel will pick up the crew and spacecraft, who then will be taken by helicopter back to shore.

Crew-10 Lifts Off to International Space Station

Check out this short video of the liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia aboard the Crew-11 spacecraft.

Video courtesy of NASA