Spacex Postpones Launch Of NASA Crew-11 Mission To ISS Due To Unfavourable Weather Conditions

(MENAFN- Live Mint) SpaceX has delayed the launch of four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) owing to poor weather conditions in Florida. The mission, designated NASA's SpaceX Crew-11, was originally scheduled for lift-off at 9:40 PM IST on Thursday, 31 July 2025.

In a notable first, the launch broadcast was made available on Netflix, alongside traditional platforms such as NASA+, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video.

Notably, SpaceX has postponed the launch of the Crew-11 crew to 11:43 AM EDT/ 9:13 PM IST on 1 August 2025.

The Crew-11 mission comprises four astronauts: Zena Cardman (NASA) serving as Mission Commander, Mike Fincke (NASA) as Pilot, Kimiya Yui (JAXA, Japan) as a Mission Specialist, and Oleg Platonov (Roscosmos, Russia) also as a Mission Specialist.

This marks the eleventh routine crewed flight under NASA's Commercial Crew Programme, a collaborative initiative with private firms such as SpaceX to facilitate transportation to the International Space Station (ISS).

The objective of the mission is to ferry the crew to the ISS for a six-month scientific expedition, where they will conduct research in a microgravity environment.

Notably, the American, Japanese, and Russian astronauts are set to remain aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for a minimum of six months, taking over from the team that launched in March and has been covering duties for the two NASA astronauts currently unable to return due to technical issues.

Acting NASA Administrator and US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was present at Kennedy Space Cente for the launch attempt. While weather conditions initially appeared favourable, increasing winds and deteriorating cloud cover ultimately led to the mission being postponed.

It is noteworthy that the launch will see a Falcon 9 rocket propel the Dragon spacecraft into low Earth orbit at speeds reaching approximately 17,500 miles per hour. Once in orbit, Dragon will rely on its onboard thrusters to complete its journey and dock with the ISS.

(With inputs from AP)

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