Crew-11 Astronauts Join Latest Episode of ISS National Lab Podcast
NASA astronauts Mike Fincke (left) and Zena Cardman are the pilot and commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission.
Media Credit: SpaceX
July 30, 2025
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), July 30, 2025 – The latest episode of Between a Rocket and a Hard Space, the official podcast of the ISS National Laboratory®, features a conversation with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke ahead of their upcoming NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
In this episode, Cardman and Fincke discuss the value of pushing the limits of science and innovation beyond Earth’s horizons. The two share their excitement about the projects they’ll support during their mission—ranging from biomedical research that may lead to accelerated drug development to projects testing advanced materials in the extreme space environment.
Fincke also reflects on his deep connection to the orbiting laboratory, having helped assemble the ISS during missions in 2004, 2008, and 2011. Now, 14 years later, he returns to the space station he helped build—this time to support groundbreaking research and innovation. This mission marks Cardman’s first journey to space. During the podcast, she discusses how her diverse background and training will shape her contributions to the mission and what she’s most looking forward to as she prepares to live and work in microgravity.
Cardman and Fincke, along with Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, are slated to launch to the space station no earlier than July 31, 12:09 p.m. EDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Listen to the full episode and hear from two astronauts preparing to launch into a mission filled with purpose, discovery, and inspiration.