Endeavour Is Once Again Bound for the ISS...

NASA / Joel Kowsky

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 Launches to International Space Station (News Release)

Four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission launched at 11:43 a.m. EDT on Friday, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. The spacecraft will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 3 a.m. on Saturday, August 2.

During Endeavour’s flight, SpaceX will monitor a series of automatic spacecraft maneuvers from its mission control center in Hawthorne, California. NASA will monitor space station operations throughout the flight from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA’s live coverage resumes at 1 a.m., August 2, on NASA+ with rendezvous, docking and hatch opening. After docking, the crew will change out of their spacesuits and prepare cargo for offload before opening the hatch between Endeavour and the space station’s Harmony module around 4:45 a.m. Once the new crew is aboard the orbital outpost, NASA will provide coverage of the welcome ceremony beginning at approximately 5:45 a.m.

The number of crew aboard the space station will increase to 11 for a short time as Crew-11 joins NASA astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers and Jonny Kim, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 will depart the space station after the arrival of Crew-11 and a handover period. Ahead of Crew-10’s return, mission teams will review weather conditions at the splashdown sites off the coast of California prior to departure from station.

During their mission, Crew-11 will conduct scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and benefit humanity on Earth. Participating crew members will simulate lunar landings, test strategies to safeguard vision, and advance other human spaceflight studies led by NASA’s Human Research Program. The crew will also study plant cell division and microgravity’s effects on bacteria-killing viruses, as well as perform experiments to produce a higher volume of human stem cells and generate on-demand nutrients.

The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which provides reliable access to space, maximizing the use of the station for research and development and supporting future missions beyond low-Earth orbit by partnering with private companies to transport astronauts to and from the space station.

Source: NASA.Gov

****


SpaceX

As Crew-11 continues its flight to the International Space Station, Dragon Endeavour is set to dock at 3 am ET (0700 UTC) on Aug. 2.

Learn more about each crew member through our one-on-one interviews conducted at @NASA_Johnson.

Videos in thread 🧵1/5

📸: @ABernNYC for SFN pic.twitter.com/EdSCyraM6j

— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) August 1, 2025