NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, who was unexpectedly excluded from SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission last year, has been given a new chance at spaceflight. She will lead SpaceX Crew-11, which will be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) as early as July. She will be joined on board by: pilot Mike Fincke (NASA), Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos representative Oleg Platonov.
Path to a new mission
Initially, Cardman was preparing to fly as part of Crew-9. But in August 2023, NASA removed her and colleague Stephanie Wilson from the list. Free seats in Crew Dragon were forced to be taken by astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams as their Boeing Starliner spacecraft was found to have malfunctions. Wilmore and Williams stayed on the ISS for a long nine months, and successfully landed with Crew-9 in March 2024.
For Cardman, this flight will be her debut. However, her colleagues have a wealth of experience:
- Mike Fincke has flown three missions to the ISS (2004, 2008, 2011), spending 382 days in space. He had previously been preparing for Starliner’s first operational flight, but Boeing’s technical problems delayed his mission.
- Kimiya Yui worked on the space station in 2014-2015 as part of Expeditions 44/45.
- Oleg Platonov is a new astronaut from Roscosmos, and his participation signals continued cooperation between the space agencies despite the war in Ukraine.
Crew-11 mission
This mission will emphasize the role of private companies in spaceflight. SpaceX, founded by troublemaker Elon Musk, remains a key NASA partner, while Boeing, with its troubled Starliner, is still struggling to overcome technical shortcomings. For Cardman, it’s also an opportunity to prove her professionalism after a surprise removal last year.
NASA has not yet announced plans for Stephanie Wilson, who remains out of the main cast for now. But Cardman’s story is a reminder: in space, change happens fast, and every failure opens up new opportunities.
Earlier we reported on how the Crew-9’s splashdown was accompanied by unusual “companions” — a flock of dolphins.
According to space.com
