NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 Arrive in Florida for Launch | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 Arrive in Florida for Launch | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 from left to right: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia, and NASA astronaut Mike Fincke.

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, Crew-11 commander, speaks to the news media during crew arrival for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

Crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission, from left to right: NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia.

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, Crew-11 commander, speaks to the news media during crew arrival for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission.

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Crew-11 pilot, speaks to the news media during crew arrival for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission.

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Crew-11 pilot, speaks to the news media during crew arrival for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission.

Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Oleg Platonov of Russia speaks to the news media during crew arrival for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut mission specialist Kimiya Yui speaks to the news media during crew arrival for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission.

Crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, pose for photographs and talk to media representatives following their arrival on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew-11 mission is slated to launch to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A no earlier than 12:09 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 31, 2025.

Once aboard the International Space Station, the Commercial Crew foursome will spend several months studying stem cell production methods to develop advanced cures, new ways to treat bacterial infections, space agriculture techniques, and more.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke are serving as commander and pilot of the mission. The crew also has two mission specialists, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia. They have trained for their mission across the world, including NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California, and international training locations.

The flight is the 11th crew rotation with SpaceX to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future missions to the Moon, as well as benefit people on Earth.

Follow Expedition 73:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Date: July 26, 2025

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