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last mo.

SpaceX Crew-11 Completes ISS Docking, Launches Research Expedition

The international quartet has joined Station residents to launch experiments vital for NASA’s Artemis-driven lunar objectives as part of deep-space preparations.

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Astronaut Kimiya Yui, of Japan gestures as he leaves the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-A and a planned liftoff on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Cape Canaveral , Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Overview

  • Crew-11 autonomously docked at the ISS Harmony module at 3 a.m. EDT on August 2, initiating Expedition 74 after a handover with Crew-10.
  • The crew comprises NASA commander Zena Cardman (first flight) and pilot Mike Fincke (fourth flight), JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui (second flight), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov (first flight).
  • Dragon Endeavour made its sixth flight atop a Falcon 9 rocket, reinforcing SpaceX’s reusable spacecraft strategy.
  • Over the next six months, the team will conduct lunar landing simulations, human vision safeguards, stem cell cultivation, and phage therapy studies to advance long-duration mission readiness.
  • Crew-11 represents the 11th rotation under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, sustaining uninterrupted ISS staffing and supporting Artemis and future Mars exploration.