4 minute read•Updated 6:52 PM EDT, Thu March 27, 2025
NASA has officially announced the four-member crew for the upcoming SpaceX Crew-11 mission, the 11th crew rotation flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The multinational team — comprising astronauts from the United States, Japan, and Russia — will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft no earlier than July 2025 for a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory.
The Crew-11 astronauts are:
Commander Zena Cardman (NASA)
Pilot Mike Fincke (NASA)
Mission Specialist Kimiya Yui (JAXA – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)
Mission Specialist Oleg Platonov (Roscosmos)
More details, including a targeted launch date, vehicle assignment, and pre-launch activities, will be announced in the months ahead.
Over the course of their stay aboard the International Space Station, the Crew-11 astronauts will carry out an array of experiments designed to advance human understanding in biology, medicine, physics, materials science, and space operations. Their research will contribute directly to NASA’s Artemis campaign, which seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon and prepare for future Mars missions.
For more than 24 years, the ISS has served as a proving ground for human spaceflight, with continuous human habitation since November 2000. As NASA partners with commercial entities to establish a robust low Earth orbit economy, missions like Crew-11 ensure a continued U.S. and international presence in space and sustain the flow of research vital to exploration and innovation on Earth.
Crew-11 will mark the 11th operational crew rotation mission using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon vehicle, continuing NASA’s partnership with private industry through the Commercial Crew Program; a transformative effort that has helped restore American capability to launch astronauts from U.S. soil.
Meet The Crew
Zena Cardman, serving as mission commander, will be making her first spaceflight. A Virginia native and member of NASA’s 2017 astronaut class, Cardman brings an impressive background in marine science, geobiology, and geochemical research. Her work has spanned from cave systems to deep-sea sediments — environments that offer analogs for conditions astronauts may encounter on the Moon and Mars. Cardman has played a vital role in real-time ISS operations and the planning of lunar surface missions. She was originally assigned to Crew-9 before being reassigned to lead Crew-11, leveraging her experience with Dragon spacecraft training.
Joining her in the cockpit is veteran astronaut Mike Fincke, who will serve as pilot. With 382 days in space, nine spacewalks, and three previous missions — including Expedition 9 (2004), Expedition 18 (2008), and STS-134 (2011) — Fincke brings a wealth of operational experience. A retired U.S. Air Force colonel, Fincke is a graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot School and holds degrees from MIT and Stanford in fields ranging from Aeronautics to Earth and Planetary Sciences. Previously assigned to the Starliner-1 mission, Fincke has been instrumental in the development and testing of both the Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Dragon vehicles for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Representing Japan, Kimiya Yui of JAXA returns to space for his second mission, having logged 142 days in orbit during Expedition 44/45 in 2015. Yui made history during that flight as the first Japanese astronaut to capture JAXA’s H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV). He also played a key role in constructing a new experimental environment aboard Kibo, the Japanese Experiment Module, and conducted over 20 scientific investigations. A former fighter pilot and lieutenant colonel in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Yui has also led the JAXA Astronaut Group since 2016.
Rounding out the crew is Oleg Platonov, a rookie cosmonaut from Russia making his first spaceflight. Selected by Roscosmos in 2018, Platonov is a test cosmonaut with training in zero gravity, survival operations, scuba diving, and aircraft piloting. He holds degrees in Aircraft Operations and Air Traffic Management from the Krasnodar Air Force Academy and in State and Municipal Management from Far Eastern Federal University. Assigned as a test cosmonaut in 2021, he represents the next generation of Russian spaceflight expertise.
