NASA SpaceX Astronaut Crew-11 Rocket Launch, Docking Coverage Set For July 31

Liftoff is targeted for 12:09 p.m., Thursday, July 31

BREVARD COUNTY • FLORIDA —NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station.

Liftoff is targeted for 12:09 p.m., Thursday, July 31, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The targeted docking time is approximately 3 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 2.

Watch live coverage on Space Coast Daily Rocket Launch Chanel

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov to the orbiting laboratory for a science mission. This is the 11th crew rotation mission and the 12th human spaceflight mission for NASA to the space station supported by the Dragon spacecraft since 2020 as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA’s mission coverage is as follows:

Saturday, July 26, 1 p.m. – Crew-11 arrival media event at NASA Kennedy with the following participants:

● Zena Cardman, spacecraft commander, NASA
● Mike Fincke, pilot, NASA
● Kimiya Yui, mission specialist, JAXA
● Oleg Platonov, mission specialist, Roscosmos

Watch live coverage of the crew arrival media event on the NASA Kennedy’s social media accounts.

Wednesday, July 30, 5:30 p.m. – Prelaunch news conference with the following participants:

● Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
● Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
● Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
● William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX
● Sergei Krikalev, deputy director general, Manned and Automated Complexes, Roscosmos
● Naoki Nagai, program manager, International Space Station, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, JAXA

NASA will provide live coverage of the news conference on the agency’s YouTube channel.

Thursday, July 31, 8 a.m. – Launch coverage

12:09 p.m. – Launch

Following the conclusion of launch coverage, NASA will distribute audio-only discussions between Crew-11, the space station, and flight controllers during Dragon’s transit to the orbital complex. NASA+ coverage resumes at the start of rendezvous and docking and continues through hatch opening and the welcoming remarks.

1:30 p.m. – Postlaunch news conference with the following participants:

● Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
● Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
● Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
● Sergei Krikalev, deputy director general, Manned and Automated Complexes, Roscosmos
● Kazuyoshi Kawasaki, associate director general, Space Exploration Center/Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center, JAXA
● Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX

NASA will provide live coverage of the news conference on the agency’s YouTube channel.

Saturday, August 2

● 1 a.m. – Arrival coverage begins

● 3 a.m. – Targeted docking to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.

● 4:45 a.m. – Hatch opening

● 5:30 a.m. – Welcome ceremony

All times are estimates and could be adjusted based on real-time operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the most up-to-date operations information.

Live Video Coverage Prior to Launch

NASA will provide a live video feed of Launch Complex 39A approximately six hours prior to the planned liftoff of the Crew-11 mission. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be uninterrupted until the prelaunch broadcast begins, approximately four hours prior to launch. Once the feed is live, find it online.

Launch Coverage

Launch day coverage of the mission will begin no earlier than 8 a.m., July 31, as the countdown milestones occur.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is opening access to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities.

For almost 25 years, humans have continuously lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon as we prepare for Mars.

More information about the mission.

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