SpaceX’s Endeavour Gently Seals Itself to the ISS in Nighttime Ballet
Flawless Arrival at 02:27 a.m. ET
Two NASA astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut, and Japan’s lone representative on this expedition climbed out of their seats Saturday morning to the soft clunk of metal meeting metal 264 miles above the South Pacific. It only took sixteen hours after leaving Florida for Crew 11’s Dragon capsule, Endeavour, to finish its orbital chase and settle gracefully into the space-station’s forward-facing Harmony port.
A Behind-to-Below-to-Above Fly Around
The final lap resembled an aerial waltz:
- Trailing start: Endeavour approached from behind and beneath the orbiting laboratory.
- U-turn ahead: The craft looped up and overshot the station, stationing itself above the complex.
- Slow descent: Inch by inch, the capsule eased straight downward until the latches clicked home.
Fair Weather in Space
No alarms, no manual overrides—just the quiet hum of thrusters and the glow of city-nightlights far below as the new occupants prepared to open the hatch.
Endeavour Glides Into Sunrise Parking Slot Above Earth
A Dawn-to-Docking Timeline
- 16 hours — The Crew Dragon’s sprint from Cape Canaveral to the orbital outpost.
- 03:42 UTC — The unmistakable “soft-capture” moment when Dragon’s docking ring kissed the station’s Pressurized Mating Adapter.
- 03:47 UTC — Twelve locking hooks tightened, turning soft contact into a solid embrace.
- 03:52 UTC — Umbilical cables snapped into place, ferrying power, data, and fresh air between vehicles.
- 04:15 UTC — Cabin leak checks complete; the vestibule proved as airtight as any vault.
Handshakes Through Steel
From Mission Control, astronaut Jonny Kim’s voice echoed through both spacecraft.
“Endeavour, welcome to the International Space Station,” he said, mixing protocol with genuine warmth. “Zena, Mike, Kimi and Oleg—we’ve chilled drinks, steaming plates, and zero-gravity hugs ready.”
Dragon’s cockpit burst into cheers. Veteran pilot Mike Fincke replied on behalf of Crew-11:
“Hello, space station! Crew-11 checking in! We’re thrilled to join Expedition 73 and pledge to treat this incredible laboratory with the same respect shown for almost 25 uninterrupted years. Let’s keep the celebration rolling.”
Floating Homecoming, 250 Miles High
Just shy of three hours after contact, time came for the ritual hatch swing. Inside the capsule, spacesuits were stowed, displays dimmed, and the tunnel depressurized. Cardman, first-time flier, led the way, fingertips brushing aluminum walls she had only seen in training models. Behind her drifted seasoned Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, rookie cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, and ever-smiling Fincke.
As they emerged, the station’s existing seven residents—some still sporting messy sleep hair—formed an honor guard of bear hugs and selfies. Someone’s playlist leaked John Denver through a tinny speaker. It wasn’t just another crew rotation; it felt like the station itself inhaled a fresh breath.
New Faces Bring Fresh Energy to the Orbiting Laboratory
The Crew Dragon capsule slid smoothly into port, and barely 120 minutes later the four newest occupants floated through the hatch in matching navy suits, exchanging bear-hugs with the seven current residents.
Who’s Who in Expedition 73
- Arriving — Crew 11: commander Zena Cardman, pilot Mike Fincke, cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui
- Continuing — Expedition 73 “core” in white shirts: station commander Takuya Onishi of JAXA, cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky, and NASA astronauts Jonny Kim, Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain
A Warm Welcome at 250 Miles Up
Onishi greeted the newcomers over crackling comms: “We are so happy to see your smiling faces. Zena, Oleg—congratulations on your first trip to space! Mike, Kimiya—great to have seasoned veterans back. Your stories will make Expedition 73 even stronger.”
Long-Awaited Dream
Cardman, who gave up her seat on an earlier launch so that two stranded Starliner crew members could get home, was beaming ear-to-ear.
“This journey has already rewritten my definition of ‘amazing.’ Watching the station swell into view outside our windows felt unreal. It’s good to finally float through this door.”
Homeward Bound Countdown Begins
The calendar now flips to crew-rotation mode:
- Next Wednesday, Crew 10 commander Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi and Kirill Peskov will undock, touching down after 145 days in orbit.
- Remaining aboard: Jonny Kim and cosmonaut duo Sergey Ryzhikov & Alexey Zubritsky will settle in with Cardman’s fresh quartet, keeping Expedition 73 humming through the summer months.
From launch to handover, barely three hours passed—but the station’s dynamic has already shifted toward a new chapter of science and discovery.
Cardman’s Space-Station Debut: A Cosmic Bear-Hug and the Prospect of an Even Longer Orbit
First Contact 250 Miles Up
Fresh off the Soyuz capsule that ferried her to the International Space Station, astronaut Zena Cardman was greeted by cosmonaut Alexey Zubritsky. In the micro-gravity “lobby” of the orbiting laboratory, she wrapped her arms around him in a weightless embrace, her grin stretching from one bulkhead to the other.
“That first hug in zero-g—zero resistance, zero hesitation—made the 250-mile ride worth every second,” Cardman later told ground crews.
Eight-Month Expedition Era Dawns
For more than two decades, crews have treated six months as the gold-standard tour. That timeline just got an upgrade.
- Russian lead: The new Soyuz MS-27/73S mission is slated for an eight-month sojourn—a full 25 percent longer than before.
- NASA may mirror the shift: Officials are already weighing an eight-month stretch for Crew 11.
- Rationale: Fewer rotations mean:
- Reduced Dragon crews—four down to three,
- Fewer resupply flights,
- Substantial cost savings amid tighter budgets.
Federal Budget Ripples
The Trump administration’s 2026 fiscal outline slices nearly a quarter from NASA’s total budget; the language explicitly pushes the agency to wind down routine ISS activities and pour resources into deep-space hardware for future human trips to Mars.
NASA leadership: “Everything is on the table now—mission lengths, crew sizes, even the cadence of Dragons.”
Cardman Greets a Possible Extension
Hours before lift-off she was asked whether circling Earth for another 60 days sounded daunting. Her answer was a simple litmus test of enthusiasm.
- Current baseline: Six-month tour.
- Built-in flexibility: Mission ops can tack on two additional months.
- Cardman on added time: “Eight months? Make it a double gift.”
In Sum
The next chapter aboard the space station may very well be measured in eight-month chapters, not six. For Cardman—still savoring the feel of a cosmonaut’s welcome—the prospect of two extra months in weightless wonder feels less like overtime, more like overtime pay in priceless experiences.
