On Saturday, July 26, 2025, the four astronauts set to join the International Space Station (ISS) landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The team, made up of NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, arrived on a NASA jet from Houston, Texas. They touched down at 1:12 p.m. EDT at the Launch and Landing Facility. This marks the start of their preparations for a launch scheduled for Thursday, July 31, 2025.
The astronauts stepped off the plane and spoke to the press. Zena Cardman, who will lead the mission as commander, said, “We are so happy to be here at Kennedy Space Center. It’s starting to feel real now, and this week will make it even more exciting as we get closer to launch.” Mike Fincke, the pilot, added, “It’s great to be back. The last time I landed here was on the space shuttle Endeavour, and now we’re heading out on the Dragon Endeavour.”
This mission, called Crew-11, will use SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, launched by a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A. If all goes well, they will dock with the ISS on August 2 and join the Expedition 73 crew. The team’s arrival comes after mission managers gave the green light for launch preparations on Friday following a flight readiness review.
Zena Cardman’s journey to this mission has had some twists. She was supposed to fly on an earlier mission, Crew-9, but that plan changed. She was replaced to help bring back NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck on the ISS since June 2024 due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Cardman’s first spaceflight was delayed because of this, but now she gets to lead Crew-11. The other astronauts bring a lot of experience. Mike Fincke has spent 382 days in space over three missions, Kimiya Yui worked on the ISS in 2014-2015, and Oleg Platonov is a new cosmonaut from Russia.
The Crew-11 mission shows teamwork between NASA, JAXA, and Roscosmos, even with challenges in space travel. Boeing’s Starliner has faced problems, like propellant leaks, which have pushed its return plans to possibly 2026. This has made SpaceX the go-to choice for NASA’s crew missions. The Dragon Endeavour will be on its sixth flight, making it the most-used Crew Dragon spacecraft so far.
People can watch the launch if they visit the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Buses will take visitors to see it, starting at 9:15 a.m. on launch day. The event is expected to draw a crowd, so arriving early is a good idea.
As the astronauts settle in, they are getting ready for a busy week. Their launch on July 31 will be a big moment for space exploration, bringing new faces and experienced hands to the ISS. More updates will come as the date gets closer.
