Nasa is set to attempt the launch of the Crew-11 mission today, August 1, 2025, following a weather-related delay the day before. The launch, originally scheduled for July 31, was scrubbed just minutes before liftoff due to cumulus clouds violating weather rules at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Today’s liftoff from Launch Complex 39A is targeted for 9:13pm IST, with favourable weather conditions currently forecast at about 60-75%.
WATCH SPACEX NASA CREW-11 LAUNCH LIVE HERE
However, officials remain closely monitoring not only conditions at the launch site but also along the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft’s flight path, as acceptable weather throughout is required for a successful launch go-ahead.
The Crew-11 mission will ferry four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for a science and technology mission. The crew includes Nasa astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
If successful, the spacecraft is expected to dock at the ISS early Saturday morning, August 2.
Following a scheduled handover, the current Expedition 73/74 crew of Nasa astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, along with JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, will return to Earth.
This mission marks the 11th operational crew rotation flight to the ISS under Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program and continues the partnership with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft to maintain a consistent human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory.
The successful launch will allow the Crew-11 astronauts to continue vital research in microgravity and support Nasa’s broader objectives for human spaceflight and exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
The launch comes weeks after SpaceX succesfully returned four astronauts part of Axiom-4 mission, including India’s Shubhanshu Shukla, from the flying laboratory.
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