How to Watch Thursday's SpaceX Falcon 9 NASA Crew-11 Launch

EvelynSci/Tech2025-07-314290

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On Thursday, July 31, 2025, at roughly 12:09 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the next crewed rocket launch fromSpaceX is set to blast off from theKennedy Space Center, Florida. This mission, dubbed Crew-11, Crew-10 back in March, and the high-profile mission, Crew-9, which was essentially a rescue mission of stranded NASAastronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. And because certain personnel changes were caused by that rescue mission, Crew-11 is, in a sense, a launch that will put NASA back on schedule.

Here's why the launch is important for NASA, who is in the crew, and how to watch the rocket blast-off live on Thursday.

What is the NASA/SpaceX Crew-11 Mission?

The Crew-11 Mission will transport four people to the ISS. This includes:

NASA astroanut Zena Cardman

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)astronaut Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) cosmonaut Oleg Platonov

This mission actually represents Zena Cardman's first trip into space. Prevoiusly she was bumped from Crew-9 when that mission had to make room to rescue Wilmore and Williams. Originally, Wilmore and Williams were to be picked up by the Boeing Starliner, but because that craft was unable to make the trip, SpaceX had to step in.

So, with Cardman back on the launch, Crew-11 is a step toward NASA and SpaceX resuming more or less, normal programming.

Accordingto SpaceX: "During their time on the orbiting laboratory, the crew will conduct new research to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and to benefit humanity on Earth."