Crew-11 set for July launch: All you need to know about NASA’s new SpaceX mission

The four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station train inside a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in Hawthorne, California. (Image: NASA)

Four astronauts are getting ready for their journey to space. Their destination: the International Space Station, aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission. Their tasks will include science, maintenance and Moon-focused tests.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA’s Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov will lift off on 31 July. Launch is set for 12:09 p.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They will ride aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule Endeavour, which has flown multiple times before.

Mission Focus: From Earth Orbit to Lunar Simulations
Crew-11 will stay in space for several months. During that time, they’ll run key experiments in microgravity. They’ll also support NASA’s Artemis programme with training tasks. These include Moon landing simulations using handheld devices and screen displays. The exercises will help researchers study how gravity changes affect navigation skills.

From left to right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui pictured after participating in a training simulation inside a mockup at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. (Image: NASA)

This will be the fourth crewed spaceflight for Fincke. He has already logged 382 days in orbit and completed nine spacewalks. Cardman, a geobiologist from Virginia, will be making her first journey. Japan’s Yui returns after 142 days on a previous mission. Platonov will fly for the first time, bringing flight experience and survival training.

Science Goals and Station Support Activities
The crew will research plant biology, human health, and space medicine. They will also test how microgravity affects viruses that target bacteria. Other experiments involve stem cell growth and nutrition delivery systems.

Dragon will dock at the station’s Harmony module automatically. The crew can switch to manual control if needed. Once aboard, they’ll join Expedition 73, replacing Crew-10 after a handover period.

Their mission supports spaceflight operations and longer-term goals. The team will help welcome new arrivals and see off other returning crew. They’ll also be onboard when the station celebrates 25 years of crewed operations in November.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme continues advancing with each successful rotation. As the space station grows older, its role remains vital for Earth and deep space exploration.