NASA astronaut Zena Cardman is set to lead the upcoming SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station, bringing a blend of scientific curiosity, leadership, and poetic insight to one of the most demanding roles in modern exploration.

SpaceX launched four astronauts Friday to the ISS for a six-month science mission, marking the company’s 12th NASA crew flight since 2020.

The four U.S., Russian and Japanese astronauts pulled up in their SpaceX capsule after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They will spend at least six months at the orbiting lab, swapping places with colleagues up there since March. SpaceX will bring those four back as early as Wednesday.