NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11

As part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission, four astronauts from three different space agencies will journey to the International Space Station (ISS) for an extended scientific expedition. Scheduled for launch July 31, 2025, the crew will contribute to ongoing research and technological development aboard the orbiting laboratory. The mission marks the eleventh crew rotation flight conducted by SpaceX under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, continuing its goal to establish consistent and safe transportation for astronauts between Earth and the ISS.

The multinational crew includes NASA astronauts Commander Zena Cardman and Pilot Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut and Mission Specialist Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos Mission Specialist Oleg Platonov. Both Cardman and Fincke were reassigned from previous missions—Cardman from Crew-9 and Fincke from Boeing’s Starliner-1—in alignment with NASA’s strategic planning for ISS operations. Each astronaut brings a unique blend of experience and expertise, with Fincke’s extensive flight history and Cardman’s command training on the Dragon spacecraft adding significant capability to the mission.

Zena Cardman, selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017, will make her first spaceflight with Crew-11. With academic credentials in biology and marine sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and doctoral work in geosciences, Cardman’s research background includes geobiology and subsurface microbial ecosystems. Her work supports NASA’s goals of understanding life in extreme environments, an area directly relevant to both Mars and lunar exploration. In recent years, she has contributed to real-time ISS operations and lunar mission planning.

Mike Fincke, a seasoned NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force colonel, brings a wealth of experience with three prior spaceflights totaling 382 days in orbit and nine spacewalks. He has contributed significantly to both the development and testing of the SpaceX Dragon and Boeing Starliner spacecraft. Fincke holds dual bachelor’s degrees from MIT and a master’s degree from Stanford University, and has served as a test pilot with more than 2,000 flight hours across 30 aircraft types. His deep technical background and leadership in flight systems development have made him a critical figure in advancing the Commercial Crew Program.

Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov round out the crew with distinguished careers in aerospace. Yui, a JAXA astronaut and former chief of the JAXA Astronaut Group, previously completed a mission aboard the ISS in 2015 and led experiments within Japan’s Kibo module. His military background and engineering education inform his multifaceted role on the crew. Meanwhile, Platonov will embark on his first spaceflight. A graduate of the Krasnodar Air Force Academy and Far Eastern Federal University, Platonov’s skills in aviation, zero-gravity environments, and survival training exemplify the rigorous preparation demanded of cosmonauts entering space for the first time.