NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 Mission Returns, Splashes Down off California
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission landed safely early Thursday morning in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, concluding a more than five-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov returned to Earth at 12:41 a.m. PST. Teams aboard SpaceX recovery ships recovered the spacecraft and its crew shortly after landing.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our astronauts and the teams on the ground at NASA, SpaceX and our international partnerships,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Their professionalism and focus kept the mission on track, even with an adjusted schedule. Crew-11 performed more than 140 scientific experiments that advance human exploration. Missions like Crew-11 demonstrate the inherent capability of the U.S. space program: our ability to bring astronauts home as needed, launch new crews quickly, and continue to advance human spaceflight as we prepare for our historic Artemis II mission, from orbit low earth to the Moon and ultimately to Mars.
Crew 11 returned home about a month earlier than expected due to a medical issue that crews are monitoring with one of the crew members, who remains stable. Due to medical confidentiality, it is not appropriate for NASA to share further details about the crew member. Before the return, NASA had already coordinated the transport of the four crew members to a local hospital for further evaluation, taking advantage of medical resources on Earth to provide the best possible care.
After the planned overnight hospital stay, crew members will return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and undergo standard post-flight reconditioning and evaluations.
The Crew-11 mission lifted off at 11:43 a.m. EDT on August 1, 2025, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. About 15 hours later, the crew’s SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked with the orbital outpost at 1:27 a.m. CDT on August 2.
During their 167-day mission, the four crew members traveled nearly 71 million kilometers and completed more than 2,670 orbits around Earth. The Crew-11 mission was Fincke’s fourth spaceflight, Yui’s second, and Cardman and Platonov’s first. Fincke spent 549 days in space, ranking him fourth among all NASA astronauts for cumulative days in space.
Along the way, Crew-11 logged hundreds of hours of research, maintenance and technology demonstrations. Crew members also celebrated the 25th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory on November 2, 2025. Research conducted aboard the space station advances scientific knowledge and demonstrates new technologies that allow us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program provides reliable access to space, maximizing use of the International Space Station for research and development by partnering with private U.S. companies, including SpaceX, to transport astronauts to and from the space station.
Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
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Joshua Finch/Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov
Steven Siceloff
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov
