In a high‑stakes setback, SpaceX and NASA officials called off the launch of Crew‑11 on July 31, 2025, at 12:09 p.m. EDT (1609 GMT). Just one minute and seven seconds before liftoff, mission controllers halted the countdown due to dense cumulus clouds approaching the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
The Crew‑11 mission was set to transport an international team of four to the International Space Station—the twelfth human spaceflight under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The crew includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman(commander) and Mike Fincke (pilot), alongside Kimiya Yui of JAXA and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They were to replace the current Expedition 73/74 contingent aboard the station.
Weather conditions quickly deteriorated at the pad, prompting strict adherence to Falcon 9’s launch commit criteria which prohibit liftoff under conditions such as cloud layers greater than 4,500 ft with freezing tops, or cumulus clouds within 10 nautical miles of the flight path. The mission had 90 percent predicted favorable weather before scrub—conditions changed rapidly enough to force an abort.
The postponement occurred during a rare diplomatic moment: Dmitry Bakanov, head of Roscosmos, was on-site in Florida set to meet NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy. Their discussions were expected to cover the extension of NASA–Roscosmos crew exchanges and plans for decommissioning the ISS in 2030. As tensions remain high globally, the incident marks the first in-person meeting between top US and Russian space agency leaders since 2018, highlighting the ISS’s continued role as a geopolitical bridge. The new crew roster will also reflect a shift toward longer mission durations—possibly eight months instead of the typical six—aligned with Russian flight schedules.
Following the halt, NASA and SpaceX confirmed the next opportunity at Friday, August 1, though forecasts suggest weather conditions may deteriorate further, potentially threatening a second consecutive delay. The Crew‑11 team, which has reached the final phase of prelaunch operations, already completed a Flight Readiness Reviewand static-fire test earlier in the week.
Crew‑10, the preceding mission commanded by astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, along with Takuya Onishi (JAXA) and Kirill Peskov (Roscosmos), remains aboard the ISS until mid‑August, when Crew‑11 is expected to dock and facilitate handover procedures.
Crew‑11 features a blend of first‑time space flyers and seasoned veterans: Cardman and Platonov are launching their inaugural missions, while Fincke, an ISS stalwart, brings nearly 382 days in orbit and nine spacewalks to the mix. Yui, on his second mission, adds international continuity.
The scrub highlights the precision required for crewed missions and the unforgiving nature of launch weather constraints. With the ISS marking its 25th anniversary in October 2025, Crew‑11 was positioned to be aboard during that milestone—symbolizing the enduring international cooperation in human spaceflight.
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