WILLIAMSBURG — Zena Cardman, an astronaut from Williamsburg, will lead the SpaceX Crew-11 members on a mission to the International Space Station this July.
The flight is the 11th crew rotation with SpaceX to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future missions to the Moon, as well as benefit people on Earth, NASA said.
Cardman, who was previously assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, was reassigned to the SpaceX Crew-11 mission in overall support of planned activities aboard the International Space Station.
Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017, Cardman will conduct her first spaceflight. The Williamsburg native holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a master’s in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At the time of selection, she had begun pursuing a doctorate in Geosciences. Cardman’s research in geobiology and geochemical cycling focused on subsurface environments, from caves to deep-sea sediments.
Cardman took to social media to announce the news of her appointment, sharing the mission’s patch with a simple caption; “With gratitude for the journey, and joy for the adventures ahead: go Crew 11. I am honored to be part of this team.”
Since completing initial training, Cardman has supported real-time station operations and lunar surface exploration planning.
According to NASA, the SpaceX Crew-11 team will head to space no earlier than July. Once on board the ISS, the group will take part in a long-duration science expedition.