Axiom Space Names AX-4 Crew

August 5, 2024Posted inAxiom Space, ISS, NASA, SpaceX
AX 4 CRew Photo[LEFT] Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shuklaย of India, Mission Specialist Sล‚awosz Uznaล„ski of ESA/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary [RIGHT]. Photo: Axiom/X
AX 4 Crew Photo [LEFT] Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shuklaย of India, Mission Specialist Sล‚awosz Uznaล„ski of ESA/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary [RIGHT]. Photo: Axiom/X

Axiom Space to Include Astronauts from US, India, Poland, and Hungary in Ax-4 Mission to ISS

Axiom Space has officially announced the international crew for it’s next mission to the ISS. AX-4 will include astronauts from the US, India, Poland, and Hungary. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the mission. Whitson, who is now Axiom’s chief astronaut, holds the record among American astronauts and among women for spending the most time in space,ย 675 days. Whitson was the first female commander of the International Space Station and the only woman to serve as ISS Commander twice. She also became the first woman to command a private space mission on Ax-2 in 2023.

Cygnus NG-21 Successfully Deployed, Possible Engine Anomaly ย 

August 4, 2024Posted inISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
A Falcon9 rocket carrying NG-21 soars toward space amidst an overcast sky. Image by: Richard P Gallagher

Cape Canaveral, FL – August 4, 2024 โ€” The Cygnus NG-21 mission, launched earlier today from Cape Canaveral, has encountered some unexpected challenges. According to a tweet on โ€œXโ€ by William Harwood:  

โ€œMission control just alerted the ISS crew to a possible issue with the Cygnus cargo ship: “Just to let you guys know, good comm with Cygnus, we’re going to have solar array deploy in about an hour. The first two burns were not performed by Cygnus, so they are reassessing what is the current state of the burn plan. We’re hoping to still keep Tuesday (for capture by ISS), but we’ll re-assess once we figure out what went wrong with the first two burns.” 

SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 and NG-21 Mission

SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 and NG-21 Mission

August 4, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, Uncategorized, US Space Force
Falcon 9 and Northrup Grummanโ€™s NG-21 Cygnus cargo capsule lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral on August 4. 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
Despite on a 10% GO forecast and storms closing in from a distance, Falcon 9 flies another perfect mission.

SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Northrup Grummanโ€™s Cygnus CRS-2 NG-21 (S.S. Francis R. โ€œDickโ€ Scobee) to orbit this morning from Cape Canaveral. Liftoff was at 11:02 AM EDT under variable skies that showed a strong chance of storms coming in shortly afterwards.

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from Cape Canaveral

SpaceX Hopes To Launch Northrup Grumman’s NG-21 Mission Saturday (Update: Scrubbed)

August 2, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from Cape Canaveral
SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 carrying NG-21 in January. Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
An ill-timed line of thunderstorms forces a scrub Saturday

Update: 12 PM EDT Saturday

A wave of thunderstorms passed through the Cape Canaveral area around 90 minutes before liftoff Saturday, forcing SpaceX to stand down from its launch attempt today.

The company said in a latter post on X.com that they would try again tomorrow, but with a 90% Probability of Violation and an approaching tropical system off of Florida’s west coast, the chances of that don’t seem very high. Monday’s forecast is equally squirrelly as the system is forecast to arc through northern Florida, creating storm squalls and windy conditions across the state.

On the other hand, it’s Florida and the weather here can be unpredictable. So, we’ll see when SpaceX can get this launch off of the pad.

Starliner, Cygnus and Crew 9 Oh My! ISS is Full. ย 

Starliner, Cygnus and Crew 9 Oh My! ISS is Full. ย 

July 31, 2024Posted inISS, NASA, Space News
Cygnus spacecraft for NG-21 resupply mission. Credit: NASA
Cygnus spacecraft for NG-21 resupply mission. Credit: NASA

The International Space Station (ISS) is an island of international cooperation and scientific research. As of July 2024, the ISS has been hosting a variety of spacecraft, including the Boeing Starliner, SpaceX Dragon Endeavour, Soyuz MS-25, and the Russian Progress 87 and 88 resupply ships. The current mix of 5 vehicles and 12 astronauts ensures that the ISS isย a bustling beehive of activity, supporting a diverse range of scientific experiments and international visitors. But soon, in the days and weeks to come two more spacecraft and four more astronauts will joinย the activities.ย 

Why is Space X Launching Northrop Grummanโ€™s Next Resupply Mission?

July 31, 2024Posted inISS, NASA, Space News
A Cygnus Resupply Mission launches to the ISS atop an Ukranian-American built Antares Rocket in 2022. Photo: nkau.gov.ua
A Cygnus Resupply Mission launches to the ISS atop an Ukranian-American built Antares Rocket in 2022. Photo: nkau.gov.ua

If Northrop Grumman and Space X are supposed to be competitors, why is Space X launching the upcoming NG-21 mission for Northrop Grumman? The answer lies in recent history and the rapidly changing world of geo-politics.

NG-21 Resupply Mission Honors Challenger Commander Dick Scobee

July 29, 2024Posted inISS, NASA, Space News
NG-21 Cygnus resupply module will be named in honor of Challenger Commander Dick Scobee Photo: NASA
NG-21 Cygnus resupply module will be named in honor of Challenger Commander Dick Scobee Photo: NASA

It is Northrop Grummanโ€™s tradition to name each Cygnus spacecraft in honor of individuals who have made substantial contributions to human spaceflight. NG-21, the upcoming Cygnus resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), is now officially named the S.S. Francis R. “Dick” Scobee. Scobee is a former NASA astronaut whose contributions to aeronautics and space exploration have left a lasting legacy. The mission will launch no earlier than Saturday, August 3rd from Cape Canaveral.

Boeing And NASA Provide Starliner Update

Boeing And NASA Provide Starliner Update

July 25, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, Boeing, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
Starliner docked to the International Space Station photo: NASA
Starliner docked to the International Space Station
photo: NASA
No Return Date Set, Readiness Review May Come Late Next Week

NASA’s Steve Stich and Boeing’s Mark Nappi provided an update on the Boeing Starliner CFT flight today in a teleconference. They stated that while no return date has been set for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return aboard the spacecraft, the agency and Boeing are relatively close to a Readiness Review that must be conducted prior to Starliner undocking from ISS and returning to Earth. According to NASA, that review may come as soon as the end of next week — or August 2, 2024.

“I think we’re starting to close in on those final pieces of the flight rationale to make sure that we can come home safely,” said Steve Stich.

Starliner Team Completes Ground Hot Fire Testing at White Sands, No Date For Return Yet

Starliner Team Completes Ground Hot Fire Testing at White Sands, No Date For Return Yet

July 18, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, Boeing, ISS, NASA, Space News
Starliner CST-100 prior to launch earlier this year Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
Starliner CST-100 prior to launch earlier this year
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now

In a statement released today, NASA stated that, “[Agency] and Boeing engineers are evaluating results from last weekโ€™s engine tests at NASAโ€™s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico as the team works through plans to return the agencyโ€™s Boeingย Crew Flight Test from the International Space Station in the coming weeks.”

A Brief History Of Music In Space: A Sixty-Three Year Old Tradition

July 15, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, ISS, NASA
Col. Chris Hadfield aboard ISS with his guitar.
Col. Chris Hadfield aboard ISS with his guitar.
Photo: NASA

Crewed spaceflight is, of course, serious business. Even today, the cost of sending people is so high that mission planners try to maximize every hour that a given crew is in space. Still, astronauts and cosmonauts are human beings, and human beings require rest and breaks from constantly working despite the fact that they are in orbit or even on their way to and from the moon. With that in mind one of the most enduring traditions in space flight is that of the crews listening to music both in space and even in the final minutes of a countdown. It started in 1961, and continues to this day, and is something sure to continue long into the future.

Axiom Continues Making Steady Progress With Spacesuit Program, Collins Aerospace Drops Out

Axiom Continues Making Steady Progress With Spacesuit Program, Collins Aerospace Drops Out

June 28, 2024Posted inArtemis, Axiom Space, ISS, NASA, Space News
Artemis III partners โ€“ NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom Space โ€“ together conducted a successful pressurized simulation and the first test of its kind since the Apollo era. Courtesy of SpaceX via Axiom Space
Vital Program for Artemis and ISS Loses One of Two Vendors

Though they are often taken for granted, spacesuits are a vital part of US space efforts, both now with the International Space Station, and also later, when astronauts from Project Artemis undertake their EVA duties on the lunar surface. Without spacesuits, many of the necessary maintenance and upgrade duties on ISS cannot be performed, and obviously, without spacesuits, no one will be walking on the moon.