SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched, sending the Crew-11 team to the International Space Station (ISS) for what NASA described as a “science expedition.”
The launch was originally planned for Thursday, although weather delayed the mission.
“Thanks to the bold leadership of President Donald J. Trump, NASA is back! The agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the space station is the first step toward our permanent presence on the Moon. NASA, in conjunction with great American companies, continues the mission with Artemis in 2026. This Moon mission will ensure America wins the space race – critical to national security – and leads in the emerging, exciting and highly profitable private sector commercial space business,” said Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy. “The Commercial Crew Program and Artemis missions prove what American ingenuity, and cutting-edge American manufacturing can achieve. We’re going to the Moon…to stay! After that, we go to Mars! Welcome to the Golden Age of exploration!”
SpaceX will monitor the Dragon spacecraft’s maneuvers from Hawthorne, California, while NASA will assess space station operations from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The mission involves “scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefit humanity on Earth.”
The launch serves as the first trip to space for two members of the crew, Commander Zena Cardman and Russian Cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
“I have no emotions but joy right now. That was absolutely transcendent, the ride of a lifetime,” Cardman said, as reported by CBS News. “Thank you, this has been an incredible honor.”
