SpaceX has postponed the launch of the NASA Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station because of unfavourable weather conditions in Florida. The mission was originally scheduled to lift off at 9:40 PM IST on Thursday, 31 July 2025.
This marks the eleventh routine crewed flight under NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme, which partners with private companies like SpaceX to transport astronauts to the ISS. The Crew-11 mission includes four astronauts: Zena Cardman from NASA as the Mission Commander, Mike Fincke from NASA as the Pilot, Kimiya Yui from JAXA (Japan) as a Mission Specialist, and Oleg Platonov from Roscosmos (Russia) as a Mission Specialist.
In a first-of-its-kind development, the live broadcast of the launch was made available not only on official websites but also on popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video.
The new launch time has been rescheduled to 11:43 AM EDT or 9:13 PM IST on Friday, 1 August 2025.
The purpose of the Crew-11 mission is to transport the astronauts to the ISS for a six-month scientific expedition. During this time, they will carry out various research activities in a microgravity environment. This international crew will take over operations from the previous team, which launched in March. They are also expected to support ongoing work at the ISS as two NASA astronauts remain grounded due to unresolved technical issues.
Acting NASA Administrator and US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was present at the Kennedy Space Center during the initial launch attempt. Although early weather forecasts seemed positive, changing conditions including strong winds and increased cloud cover forced a delay.
The mission will use a Falcon 9 rocket to launch the Dragon spacecraft into low Earth orbit, reaching speeds of approximately 17,500 miles per hour. After entering orbit, Dragon will rely on its internal thrusters to navigate and dock with the ISS.
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