{"id":23777,"date":"2025-07-12T18:28:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T10:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-jaxa-astronauts-discuss-upcoming-crew-11-launch-to-iss\/"},"modified":"2025-07-12T18:28:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T10:28:21","slug":"nasa-jaxa-astronauts-discuss-upcoming-crew-11-launch-to-iss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-jaxa-astronauts-discuss-upcoming-crew-11-launch-to-iss\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA, JAXA astronauts discuss upcoming Crew-11 launch to ISS"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA has updated the launch date for the next crew launch to the International Space Station (ISS). Liftoff of the Crew-11 mission is now scheduled for 12:09 PM EDT (16:09 UTC) on July 31st from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. With their launch now fast approaching, the crew is discussing their upcoming six-month mission to the ISS.<\/p>\n

Launching onboard Crew Dragon Endeavour<\/em> will be two NASA astronauts, one astronaut from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and one cosmonaut from Roscosmos. Crew-11\u2019s commander and pilot are NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, respectively. Kimiya Yui of JAXA and Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos will serve as mission specialists.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Cardman will be making her first flight into space, although nearly a year after she was originally scheduled to. Cardman was bumped from the Crew-9 launch along with fellow astronaut Stephanie Wilson to allow for two empty seats that would later be used to bring back NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from the ISS. They remained on the Station for an extended mission after their Boeing Starliner capsule was deorbited without them due to safety concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something that we train for, we\u2019re ready for as astronauts, and most important to me was ensuring the safety of the mission,\u201d Cardman said in an interview with NSF. \u201cThat\u2019s the only promise that I really had for Crew-9. That\u2019s all that matters at the end of the day. And even though I had so many personal hopes for the mission, I couldn\u2019t imagine not being there for their training, for their launch, and then when they returned home to Ellington.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Crew-11 commander Zena Cartman poses for a photo. (Credit: NASA\/JSC)<\/p>\n

She was still able to take part in the mission through the official NASA launch webcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no other possible option, and for a while, when we thought I would be launching with Alex [Gorbunov], Nick [Hague] had offered to support as the launch broadcast host,\u201d Cardman said. \u201cSo it was really an honor and a no-brainer for me to offer the same for them. And it was such a treat to get to be there and see them liftoff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though she had already trained as the Crew-9 commander for 18 months, she still went through training all over again for Crew-11.<\/p>\n

NASA mission updates<\/path>Technology News<\/path>Aerospace & Defense<\/path>\n

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\u201cFor the Dragon training specifically\u2026 even though that spacecraft is now very familiar to me, I really, really felt it was important to go through that training with my [Crew-11] crew,\u201d Cardman said. \u201cIt\u2019s not only about the technical side of things or learning the procedures or learning the systems, it\u2019s about how you work together as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n