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How to watch SpaceX launch Crew-11 to the ISS

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SpaceX and NASA are making final preparations for the next crewed launch to the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japanese astronaut  Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, will head to the space station on July 31 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

This will be the first spaceflight for Cardman and Platonov, and the second spaceflight for Yui, while Fincke will be on his fourth voyage to space.

Crew-11 will be the 11th crew rotation mission of SpaceX’s human space transportation system and its 12th flight with astronauts, including the Demo-2 test flight, to the space station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

The crew will spend at least six months aboard the space station where they’ll work on a range of scientific research projects and possibly participate in spacewalks outside the orbital facility. 

SpaceX's Crew-11.
SpaceX’s Crew-11, from left to right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui. NASA

How to watch

A Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule carrying the crew will lift off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at a targeted time of 12:09 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31, though the livestream will begin at 8 a.m. to show the full launch preparations.

You can watch the broadcast on the video player at the top of this page. The same feed will also appear on SpaceX’s X account and also on NASA TV.

Inclement weather and technical issues could cause the launch to be rescheduled. We’ll update here if that happens, though you can also check SpaceX and NASA’s social channels for the very latest updates.

What to expect

If you join the livestream from 8 a.m., you’ll see the astronauts making their way to the launchpad and entering the Crew Dragon capsule atop the Falcon 9 rocket.

Multiple cameras on the ground will follow the Falcon 9 as it leaves the launchpad, with cameras inside the capsule showing the astronauts as they begin their journey to the ISS. You’ll also hear commentary sharing insight into exactly what’s happening, plus the live audio feeds between Mission Control and the crew aboard the spacecraft. 

Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
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