Photo: SpaceX
SpaceX has successfully launched its 11th operational human spaceflight mission for NASA. On Friday, August 1, at 11:43 a.m. ET / 8:43 a.m. PT, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the Crew-11 mission aboard a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS).
Following stage separation, the Falcon 9’s first stage completed a pinpoint landing on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — marking yet another booster recovery milestone for SpaceX.
Dragon is scheduled to autonomously dock with the ISS at approximately 3:00 a.m. ET / 12:00 a.m. PT on Saturday, August 2. A live webcast will resume about an hour before docking and will be available to stream via SpaceX’s official website and the new X TV app, as well as on X @SpaceX. You can also click here to follow the Dragon capsule along its journey.
This particular Dragon capsule is a seasoned veteran, having previously flown on Demo-2, Crew-2, Ax-1, Crew-6, and Crew-8 missions. Onboard Crew-11 are Commander Zena Cardman, Pilot Michael Fincke, and Mission Specialists Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov. Over the coming months, the team will conduct advanced research to support human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and improve life on Earth.
Crew-11 is part of a $1.5 billion, five-mission contract awarded to SpaceX by NASA in 2022, which includes Crew-10 (returning later this month), and future missions Crew-12, Crew-13, and Crew-14.
The launch also follows last month’s successful AX-4 mission to the ISS, which SpaceX executed in partnership with Axiom Space. With every successful mission, SpaceX continues to solidify its role as a cornerstone of modern spaceflight and NASA’s go-to partner for crewed missions to the orbiting laboratory.
