Crew‑11 Arrives at Kennedy Space Center

A new crew is preparing to launch to the ISS this week for a six month stay, marking a milestone in crewed missions to the aging orbital platform.

NASA’s Crew‑11 safely arrived this afternoon at Florida’s KSC Launch and Landing Facility aboard NASA’s Gulfstream V aircraft, arriving from Houston at approximately 1:10 p.m. EDT. The four-person team is now in quarantine at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building as they prepare for their scheduled launch aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 on July 31, no earlier than 12:09 p.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A. The mission is slated to relieve Crew 10, who have been in orbit since March.

Mission Overview & Timeline

• Target Launch: July 31, 2025 – no earlier than 12:09 p.m. EDT from LC‑39A
• ISS Docking: Expected August 2, 2025
• Duration: Planned ~180 days aboard ISS as part of Expedition 73/74; may extend up to eight months depending on scheduling with Soyuz rotations

Lets meet the crew members:

Commander: Zena Maria Cardman (NASA)

Born: October 26, 1987, in Urbana, Illinois, though she grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia, where her parents—Helen and Larry Cardman—still reside

Education: Earned a B.S. in Biology (with minors in marine sciences, chemistry, and creative writing) and an M.S. in Marine Sciences from UNC–Chapel Hill. She was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and was pursuing a Ph.D. in Geosciences at Penn State at the time of her astronaut selection in June 2017.

Early Career & Research: Studied microbial life in extreme environments—Antarctica (Palmer LTER), hydrothermal vents, caves, and cold seeps globally. She has participated in NASA field research in British Columbia, Idaho, and Hawaii, and worked in Cape-based analog missions to simulate planetary EVA logistics.

Personal Life: Hobbies include rock climbing, caving, writing poetry, and powerlifting

Crew Role: This marks her first mission to space; as mission commander she’ll oversee orbital operations and will take part in her first extravehicular activity (EVA). She was originally scheduled to fly to the ISS as a member of the Crew-9 mission. She and Stephanie Wilson were reassigned in order to make room for Starliner crew members Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

“I’m so honored to be here with the crew taking part in this long history of human spaceflight.” Cardman told reporters.

Pilot: Michael (“Mike”) Fincke (NASA)

Early Life: Native of Emsworth, Pennsylvania. Developed a lifelong fascination with aviation and space—often visited planetariums and taught himself to read early to pursue astronomy.

Education & Career: Holds bachelor’s degrees in Aeronautics/Astronautics and Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences from MIT, and a master’s degree in Aeronautics/Astronautics from Stanford University. Retired U.S. Air Force colonel and graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot School.

Spaceflight Experience: This is his fourth mission, with prior flights on Expedition 9 (2004), Expedition 18 (2008) and STS‑134 (2011). He has accumulated over 382 days in space and completed nine spacewalks and as he mentioned today, “I helped build the ISS, now I get to see it in its full maturity.”

Personal Interests: Known for learning foreign languages—including fluent Japanese and Russian—and maintaining hobbies in aviation crafts and flight training.

Mission Specialist: Kimiya Yui (JAXA)

Born: January 30, 1970, in Kawakami, Nagano, Japan. Selected as a JAXA astronaut in 2009 after graduating from the National Defense Academy of Japan in 1992. Served as lieutenant colonel in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force before retiring and joining JAXA.

Family: Married with three children—one daughter and two sons

Professional Highlights: Served as flight engineer on Expedition 44/45 (2015), becoming the first Japanese astronaut to capture the HTV “Kounotori” vehicle using Canadarm2 aboard the ISS. Conducted over 21 experiments and helped build an experimental module environment in Kibo.

Other Roles: Led the JAXA Astronaut Group since 2016. Participated in NASA’s NEEMO‑16 underwater mission in 2012 as part of analog environment training.

Personal Interests: Enjoys golf, tennis, and reading

Crew Role: This will be his second spaceflight, continuing roles in science operations and robotics use aboard the ISS. Yui, stated “I think during this mission we will be able to show a good example of international cooperation, because of this great international team.”

Mission Specialist: Oleg Platonov (Roscosmos)

Early Background: Born in Chelyabinsk, Russia, in the southern Ural Mountains. Grew up in a modest home, attended local schools, and admired aviation from early childhood.

Education: Holds an engineering degree in aircraft operations & air traffic management from the Krasnodar Air Force Academy and a bachelor’s degree in State & Municipal Management from Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok.

Roscosmos Career: Selected as a cosmonaut in 2018, certified as a test cosmonaut in 2021. Trained extensively in piloting aircraft, zero‑gravity simulation, wilderness survival, and scuba diving.

Crew‑11 Assignment: First spaceflight; transferred from an earlier Soyuz assignment under the NASA–Roscosmos crew swap to join Crew‑11 with NASA and JAXA partners. Platonov expressed that “It is my honor to be here in such a unique and historical place.”

During their mission, Crew‑11 will conduct advanced science investigations, technology demonstrations, ISS maintenance, prepare lunar mission analogs, and support the 25th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard the station. Safe Travels Crew-11.