On August 1, 2025, SpaceX launched its Crew‑11 mission from Kennedy Space Center, delivering four international astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The Falcon 9 first-stage booster executed a flawless landing at Landing Zone 1 just minutes after launch, underscoring SpaceX’s growing mastery of reusable rocket operations.
(Source: NASA mission report)
Crew-11 Mission Details & Astronaut Team
The flight carried NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, and JAXA’s Kimiya Yui. Scheduled to dock with the ISS around 3 a.m. ET on August 2, the Crew‑11 team will stay aboard for an eight‑month mission rotating research, operations, and maintenance responsibilities.
Why It Matters for Commercial Spaceflight
- Marks another successful SpaceX crewed mission within NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
- Demonstrates consistent reusability and precision landing—even under crewed mission constraints.
- Reinforces SpaceX’s cost-saving model by recovering and reusing critical rocket components.
