NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 launches to International Space Station

Four astronauts launched into orbit aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission, beginning a new chapter of scientific exploration aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Lift-off took place from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelling the Dragon spacecraft into space.

The crew includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said: “Thanks to the bold leadership of President Donald J. Trump, NASA is back! The agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the space station is the first step toward our permanent presence on the Moon. NASA, in conjunction with great American companies, continues the mission with Artemis in 2026. This Moon mission will ensure America wins the space race – critical to national security – and leads in the emerging, exciting and highly profitable private sector commercial space business. The Commercial Crew Program and Artemis missions prove what American ingenuity, and cutting-edge American manufacturing can achieve. We’re going to the Moon…to stay! After that, we go to Mars! Welcome to the Golden Age of exploration!”

During its journey, Dragon will undergo automated maneuvers monitored by SpaceX’s control centre in Hawthorne, California, while NASA oversees ISS operations from its Johnson Space Center in Houston.

With Crew-11’s arrival, the station’s crew will temporarily increase to 11, joining astronauts from NASA, JAXA and Roscosmos already aboard. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 will depart the station following a brief handover period, pending favorable weather conditions at splashdown sites off the California coast.

Throughout their mission, Crew-11 will carry out a range of scientific experiments aimed at advancing human spaceflight and benefiting life on Earth. Research will include simulations of lunar landings, studies on protecting astronaut vision, plant cell division, bacterial virus behavior in microgravity, and new methods for producing stem cells and generating nutrients on-demand.

The mission, part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme, exemplifies the agency’s ongoing collaboration with private industry to maintain reliable access to the ISS while laying the groundwork for future exploration beyond low Earth orbit.