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17h ago

SpaceX Launches Crew-11 to ISS After Weather Scrub

The mission, delayed by Thursday’s weather hold, will dock early Saturday to begin a six-month expedition supporting science and station upkeep.

Astronauts, from left, Oleg Platonov, of Russia, Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and Kimiya Yui, of Japan, pose for a photo as they leave 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)
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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)
Astronaut Mike Fincke speaks to friends 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

  • The launch was scrubbed Thursday after cumulus clouds breached safety constraints just before liftoff at Kennedy Space Center.
  • On Friday at 11:43 a.m. EDT, Falcon 9 successfully lifted the six-time-flown Dragon Endeavour toward orbit.
  • Commander Zena Cardman, pilot Mike Fincke, JAXA’s Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos’s Oleg Platonov are en route for an autonomous docking at 3 a.m. Saturday.
  • This mission marks the Commercial Crew Program’s 11th rotation flight and features another reuse of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 booster.
  • After a brief handover that raises station crew to 11, the team will spend at least six months on research and maintenance to sustain 25 years of continuous occupancy.