SpaceX Crew-11 (Crew Dragon Endeavour)

Manned Flight nº:

Earth orbit Flight nº:

US/SpaceX manned Flight nº:

Launch, orbit & landing data:

Description:

• SpaceX Crew-11 was the eleventh operational NASA Commercial Crew Program flight and the 19th crewed orbital flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft. The mission transported four crew members – NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov – to the International Space Station (ISS).
• The mission launched on August 1, 2025 and docked with the ISS the next day. On January 8, 2026, NASA announced that the mission would end about a month earlier than planned due to an undisclosed "medical situation" involving a crew member.
• Crew: Zena Cardman was originally assigned to SpaceX Crew-9, but she and Stephanie Wilson were removed from that flight, which launched with only two crew members and returned with the crew of the Boeing Crew Flight Test due to issues with the Boeing Starliner Calypso, while Michael Fincke and Kimiya Yui were initially assigned to Boeing Starliner-1, but they were reassigned to Crew-11 due to testing with the Boeing Starliner capsule.

Falcon rollout. Credit: NASA.

Crew-11 astronauts walk out from the O&C Building. Credit: NASA.

Falcon launch. Credit: NASA.

Crew-11 astronauts undock in 1st-ever medical evacuation from the ISS. Credit: NASA.

Crew-11 capsule recovery. Credit: NASA.

Mission details:

• ISS exp.73/74.
• This will be the first spaceflight for Crew-11 commander Cardman, who was originally scheduled to launch on the Crew-9 mission. Cardman was removed from that mission because Crew-9 ended up launching to the International Space Station (ISS) with only two astronauts on board in order to make room for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on the return trip. The duo were left without a dedicated ride home after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that ferried them to the ISS on its first crewed test flight in June 2024 encountered leaks and propulsion issues.
• The eleventh SpaceX operational mission in the Commercial Crew Program was scheduled for launch on July 31, 2025, but was scrubbed due to weather.
  The mission marked the final landing of a Falcon 9 booster on Landing Zone 1, which was then retired.[11] At 14 hours, 43 minutes, and 10 seconds, it is the fastest Crew Dragon rendezvous to date.

Spacecrafts on ISS during Crew-11. Credit: NASA.

ISS station on Jan.14 2026. Credit: NASA.

Medical incident:

• On January 7, 2026, one of the astronauts experienced an undisclosed "medical situation" that prompted NASA to cut the mission short.[14] The medical issue already caused the cancellation of a planned extravehicular activity, USA EVA 94 that was supposed to take place on January 8, 2026. The EVA would have prepared the station to receive the final pair of ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). At a news conference on January 8, 2026, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman announced that Crew-11 would return to Earth early, because of the astronaut that is suffering the medical issue. It was not stated at the time when they would come back, nor if Crew-12 could be moved up from its planned mid-February 2026 launch date. Subsequently, Crew-11 splashed back down to Earth on January 15, 2026. Isaacman said that the early return of Crew-11 and an earlier launch of Crew-12 would not affect plans for Artemis II, which was planned to launch no earlier than March 6, 2025.

External links:

• Wikipedia: Description Crew-11
  
• Spacefacts: Crew description
• Next Spaceflight: Mission notes

Astrophilately covers:

Crew-11 launch, Titusville cancel. Credit: #411

Launch cancel Merritt Island. Credit: #411

Docking cancel Houston. Credit: #411

Crew 4 return. Credit: #411