SpaceX is about to launch its Crew‑11 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday (July 31), and the occasion will stream reside on-line. Here’s how and when you may watch it.
The Crew‑11 mission is concentrating on liftoff at 12:09 p.m. EDT (1609 GMT) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will ship 4 astronauts to the house station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, marking the eleventh operational business crew rotation flight and the twelfth human spaceflight beneath NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
The launch can be livestreamed on a number of platforms, together with social media, NASA+, Netflix, Amazon Prime and proper right here on Space.com. Coverage begins round 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) with prelaunch commentary, adopted by reside views of crew readiness and launch operations, in accordance with a statement from the house company.
Crew-11 will launch NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov to the orbiting lab for a six-month science mission.
The 4 astronauts will exchange the members of Crew-10 presently onboard the ISS as a part of the routine crew rotation that maintains a steady presence on the house station. The two crews will overlap for a couple of week to permit a easy transition of duties, together with handovers of ongoing experiments, upkeep duties and station operations. After that, Crew-10 — which launched in March 2025 — will return to Earth aboard their very own Crew Dragon spacecraft.
What time will SpaceX launch the Crew-11 astronauts?
Currently, SpaceX is concentrating on Thursday, July 31, for the launch of its Crew-11 astronaut mission for NASA. If all goes in accordance with plan, the mission will elevate off atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 12:09 p.m. EDT (1609 GMT) from historic Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.
Following liftoff, the crew will start a 39-hour journey to orbit — longer than most up-to-date crewed missions, which generally arrive on the house station in beneath 24 hours. The prolonged timeline permits for exact orbital alignment between the house station’s Harmony module and Crew Dragon Endeavour forward of docking, which is presently scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 2, at roughly 3:00 a.m. EDT (0700 GMT), adopted by hatch opening focused for 4:45 a.m. EDT (0845 GMT).
Crew-11’s launch was moved up by about two weeks from its authentic window to accommodate a important ISS reboost maneuver, which can be carried out by SpaceX’s upcoming CRS-33 robotic resupply mission. CRS-33 will debut new altitude-control {hardware} on a Cargo Dragon capsule, advancing efforts to develop a U.S. automobile able to deorbiting the ISS round 2030.
The mission timeline was additionally coordinated with different spacecraft visitors on the orbiting lab — together with the Ax‑4 personal astronaut mission, which returned to Earth aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule “Grace” on July 15, clearing the best way for Crew-11’s arrival.
Can I watch SpaceX’s Crew-11 astronaut launch on-line?
Yes, you may watch SpaceX’s Crew-11 launch reside on-line, from liftoff to orbit — and even docking a day and a half later.
Viewers have a number of choices to look at the launch reside. NASA will stream the occasion free of charge on its NASA TV broadcast service, NASA+ streaming platform and NASA TV YouTube channel. Coverage is predicted to start round 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT), with pre-launch commentary by way of liftoff and spacecraft separation. After that, audio-only updates will proceed till Crew Dragon Endeavour begins its rendezvous with the house station, when reside video protection will resume on Saturday (Aug 2) round 1 a.m. EDT (0500 GMT) forward of docking, hatch opening and crew arrival aboard the orbiting lab.
NASA can also be anticipated to carry a post-launch information convention on July 31 at 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT) to debate the outcomes of the launch. That briefing will even be livestreamed by way of NASA TV and NASA+.
In addition to NASA’s channels, Crew-11 mission protection can be accessible on Netflix, Amazon Prime and social media platforms. SpaceX will provide its personal reside webcast of the Crew-11 launch on its @SpaceX account on X, beginning one hour earlier than liftoff.
Space.com will simulcast NASA’s Crew-11 launch livestream on our VideoFromSpace YouTube channel, starting at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT). You can even see that livestream on the prime of this web page.
Who are the Crew-11 astronauts?
Staying true to SpaceX’s customary crew dimension for missions aboard its Crew Dragon spacecraft, Crew-11 contains 4 astronauts. You can see detailed biographies of every member in our meet the crew story, however here’s a transient synopsis.
Crew-11’s commander, Zena Cardman, is a NASA astronaut and marine biologist embarking on her first spaceflight. Veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fincke serves as pilot, bringing expertise from three prior missions and overseeing spacecraft operations and navigation. Mission specialist Kimiya Yui, representing JAXA, returns to house with one earlier flight expertise to assist analysis and station upkeep. Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov joins as mission specialist on his first flight, specializing in scientific experiments and station programs.
The Crew-11 flight would be the sixth mission for Endeavour, making it SpaceX’s most-flown Crew Dragon spacecraft. Over its profession, Endeavour has acquired a number of upgrades, together with the addition of drogue 3.1 parachutes, which function stronger supplies and an improved packing system for extra managed and dependable inflation.
Once docked, the Crew‑11 staff will be a part of the Expedition 73/74 mission aboard the station for roughly six months of scientific analysis, upkeep duties and know-how demonstrations.