Every mission to space is a milestone. But for the astronauts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11, their time at the International Space Station will be historic.
Scheduled to lift off on Thursday at 12:09 p.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard SpaceX Dragon Endeavor powered by a Falcon 9 rocket, the three astronauts and one cosmonaut will be living on the ISS when the orbiting laboratory celebrates 25 years of uninterrupted human occupancy.
The Nov. 2 anniversary will mark two and a half decades since the first crew arrived at the station, a period during which NASA says 290 astronauts from 23 countries have performed over 4,000 experiments in microgravity.
“I remember when [the] space station was just pieces here on the ground, and I cannot say how amazed and proud I am of human beings from all over this planet working together, pretty darn well, to build this International Space Station,” Mike Fincke, Crew-11 pilot and NASA astronaut, said during a prelaunch press conference.
“We were worried about all these EVAs (extravehicular activity) we were going to do to build it, and we did, and nobody got hurt. And we have a beautiful space station,” Fincke added.
The Dragon spacecraft will take 39 hours to travel from the launch at Kennedy Space Center to the ISS, with an estimated arrival time of 3 a.m. on Aug. 2.
“We’ll watch that time closely. We have a limit of about 40 hours or so of ability to sustain the crew on the way to station when we protect all the consumables for contingencies. So, we’ll watch that really carefully,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 Mission Specialist Kimiya Yui of Japan’s JAXA and Mission Specialist Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos listens, as Commander Zena Cardman of U.S., speaks to the media at the Kennedy Space Center for their upcoming launch to the International Space Station, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., July 26, 2025.
Steve Nesius/Reuters
The Crew-11 mission isn’t just about marking the ISS anniversary milestone, though.
NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Fincke, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, will replace the Crew-10 team, which has been living and working on the ISS since March.
The Crew-11 team will have a full schedule of experiments and maintenance tasks upon arrival at the ISS, according to Bill Spetch, NASA’s operations integration manager for the International Space Station Program.
The crew will utilize a metal 3D printer to investigate the additive manufacturing process for small metal parts in microgravity. The “Sailing to the Stars” experiment will test the deployment of a light sail on the ISS, studying a new kind of spacecraft propulsion technology. And the astronauts will examine the physiological and psychological changes that occur across varying mission durations to prepare for long-term missions, such as a three-year journey to Mars.
“This studies how astronauts adapt to space over different mission durations, integrating multidisciplinary research to assess physiological and psychological changes that develop and really to develop those countermeasures that are critical for us to go to the longer-duration missions, like a three-year mission to Mars, if you can imagine,” Spetch said during the press conference.
Crew-11 will also simulate landing scenarios for future missions near the moon’s South Pole, NASA said. On the mission website, the space agency explains, “The simulations will be performed before, during, and after their mission using handheld controllers and multiple screens to identify how changes in gravity affect spatial awareness and astronauts’ ability to pilot spacecraft, like a lunar lander.”
A Falcon 9 rocket stands at Launch Complex 39A behind the digital countdown clock displaying a photo of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 crew members, Mission Specialist Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos, Pilot Mike Fincke of U.S., Commander Zena Cardman of U.S., and Mission Specialist Kimiya Yui of Japan’s JAXA, before their upcoming launch to the International Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., July 29, 2025.
Steve Nesius/Reuters
Cardman, who will command the Crew-11 mission, is a rookie astronaut selected by NASA to be part of the 2017 class of astronauts. The Williamsburg, Virginia, native holds degrees in biology and marine sciences. She has been part of several Antarctic expeditions and specializes in geobiology and geochemical cycling in subsurface environments.
Fincke, the mission’s pilot, is a space veteran, having spent more than a year in orbit, with nine spacewalks totaling 48 hours and 37 minutes of space time. The retired Air Force colonel previously served as an ISS commander and mission specialist. He’s also one of the few pilots certified to fly the SpaceX Dragon and the Boeing Starliner, having been the backup pilot for the Starliner test flight that resulted in two NASA astronauts extending their time on the station from days to months.
Yui, who will serve as a mission specialist, is returning to the ISS for a second visit after spending 142 days aboard the station as part of expeditions 44 and 45. And this will be the first spaceflight for cosmonaut Platonov. A graduate of the Krasnodar Air Force Academy, Platonov became a cosmonaut in 2018 and will serve as a mission specialist.
“I cannot tell you enough how meaningful it is to have a crew that is as kind and as thoughtful and as wonderful as they are incredibly technically competent — incredible astronauts, cosmonauts coming from multiple agencies, many different backgrounds. They make my job very, very easy as commander,” Cardman said during a prelaunch press conference.
When asked what the crew will be taking with them on their long-duration mission, Cardman, Yui and Platonov said photos. Platonov also plans on taking some of his children’s toys. Finke, whose wife is of Indian origin, is bringing a gamosa, a traditional, hand-woven cloth similar to a scarf, from Assam, India.
“I brought one on my previous three missions, and so I’m going to bring another one. It’s so knowing I’ll carry the blessings of the Indian side of my family,” Finke said.
There will be a short handover period when both Crew-10 and Crew-11 are on the station, living and working together. The earliest the Crew-10 team would return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon is Aug. 6, NASA said.
