Four astronauts embark on a six-month orbital science mission
An international crew of four astronauts launched into orbit on Friday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, beginning a six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, named Crew-11, used SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule to transport the astronauts into space.
Global cooperation aboard Crew-11
Crew-11 includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. The journey to the ISS is expected to take about 15 hours, with docking scheduled for early Saturday morning.
Upon arrival, the crew will remain aboard the ISS to conduct scientific research. Experiments will focus on plant cell division, the behavior of viruses in microgravity, and medical studies aiming to produce human stem cells and on-demand nutrients.
Crew members bring a mix of experience
This marks the first spaceflight for mission commander Zena Cardman, who was selected to join the U.S. astronaut corps in 2017. Her initial assignment was rescheduled to accommodate crew changes on a previous mission.
Pilot Mike Fincke, a space veteran, has flown three previous missions—two aboard Russian spacecraft and one on the final launch of the U.S. Space Shuttle Endeavour. Japan’s Yui returns to the ISS for his second visit, while Platonov is making his first trip to space.
ISS continues scientific legacy ahead of planned retirement
Since its first long-duration crew arrived in 2000, the ISS has hosted continuous human presence. Although it is expected to retire by the end of the decade, missions like Crew-11 highlight the achievements of international collaboration and scientific progress in low Earth orbit.
