Crew-11 was the eleventh operational crewed mission that SpaceX has launched for NASA underneath the company’s Business Crew Program (CCP), a partnership launched within the 2010s to return astronaut launches to U.S. soil.
The mission additionally reveals the rising reputation in public-private partnerships in spaceflight, with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 reusable rocket and Crew Dragon capsule now common fixtures on NASA’s manifest.
What’s it?
Bathed in a golden dawn, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket assigned to the Crew-11 mission was poised for flight on July 31, 2025.
The Falcon 9, named after the well-known “Star Wars” spacecraft the Millenium Falcon, is SpaceX’s workhorse rocket, and its reusable first stage makes spaceflight extra environment friendly and more cost effective. The 2-stage rocket is commonly used to ferry Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit.
The place is it?
The rocket sits on a launch pad at Launch Advanced 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Area Heart in Florida.
Why is it wonderful?
The Crew-11 mission, with its 4 astronauts, is headed to the Worldwide Area Station, the place the staff will take part in biomedical analysis, Earth commentary, and different research as a part of the outpost’s Expedition 73 mission.
Regardless of the picture-perfect morning skies and a rocket stacked and prepared, the primary launch try on July 31, 2025 was scrubbed as a result of climate. A second try occurred within the late morning on Aug. 1, with a profitable launch because the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off the launch pad and despatched the Crew Dragon capsule Endeavour towards the ISS.
Wish to be taught extra?
You may learn extra concerning the Crew-11 mission and the continuing analysis on the ISS.
