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

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

July 31, 2024Posted inCrewed, Falcon 9, ISS, NASA, Space News, Starliner
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 is 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 join the activities. 

Big Changes Coming To Crew Dragon Splashdowns

Big Changes Coming To Crew Dragon Splashdowns

July 26, 2024Posted inCrewed, Space News, SpaceX
Workers secure Space X Crew Dragon capsule after Crew 7 astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico last March. Image: NASA
Workers secure Space X Crew Dragon capsule after Crew 7 astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico last March. Image: NASA

NASA’s Crew Dragon spacecraft will be making its final splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean next year . The upcoming Crew-9 mission, set to launch no earlier than August 18, 2024, could be the last to conclude with a landing off the U.S. East Coast.

Boeing And NASA Provide Starliner Update

Boeing And NASA Provide Starliner Update

July 25, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, Boeing, Crewed, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, Starliner
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.

NASA Announces Crew-9 Roster: Who Are They?

NASA Announces Crew-9 Roster: Who Are They?

February 1, 2024Posted inCrewed, Falcon 9, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, US Space Force
Crew 9 Portrait
Official NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 portrait: (L-R) Stephanie Wilson, Aleksandr Gorbunov, Nick Hague, and Zena Cardman.
NASA

NASA today announced the four astronauts that will travel aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station later this year: Zena Cardman will be the Mission Commander,  Nick Hague will be the Pilot, along with Stephanie Wilson and Russian Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov will travel to ISS no earlier than August 2024.

Axiom-3 Launches From Kennedy Space Center

January 19, 2024Posted inCrewed, Falcon 9, KSC, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
Launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 with four astronauts aboard on the Axiom-3 Mission.
Photo: Charles Boyer

Minutes before a warm front brought heavy showers to Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX launched the Axiom 3 mission on a 16 day round trip to the ISS. Four Axiom Space astronauts rode the chartered Space-X Crew Dragon module to orbit on top of a Falcon 9 booster at 4:49 PM EST this evening. The all-European crew is expected to dock at ISS in two days’ time and stay aboard the station until February 3, 2024.

Ax-3 Crewed Rocket Launch and Sonic Boom Expected Tomorrow

January 16, 2024Posted inCrewed, Falcon 9, ISS, KSC, NASA, SpaceX
Ax-3 on the pad
(Image credit: Axiom Space)

Axiom Space’s third commercial astronaut mission, Ax-3, is set to be a historic event as the first all-European commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission underscores a new era in space travel, where access to low-Earth orbit (LEO) is becoming increasingly commercialized and international.

Crew 7 Mission Launches on Historic Mission to the ISS

August 26, 2023Posted inCrewed, KSC, Space News, SpaceX

The Crew of Commercial Crew 7 makes up most internationally diverse crew ever launched on a single mission.

The Crew 7 Mission lifts off with an international crew of four on Saturday, August 26th. Photo: Mark Stone/FMN

SpaceX, the pioneering space exploration company founded by Elon Musk, has successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft for the historic Crew-7 mission. This mission, commissioned by NASA, marks an important milestone in human spaceflight as it brings together four astronauts from different nations to embark on a six-month stay at the International Space Station (ISS). With innovation, collaboration, and scientific exploration at its core, the Crew-7 mission sets the stage for future advancements in space travel and our understanding of the universe.

The Final Countdown: Crew-7 Preps for Launch to the International Space Station

August 21, 2023Posted inCrewed, KSC, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
NASA Crew-6 on Pad 39A
NASA Crew-6 on Pad 39A Feb 2023 Photo Credit: TJ Waller for FMN

The latest team of astronauts preparing for liftoff onboard the NASA SpaceX Crew-7 mission have landed at the Kennedy Space Center, as they commence the final stage of quarantine before their voyage to the International Space Station (ISS). The countdown has officially commenced, with an array of activities and events unfolding throughout the launch week.

NASA SpaceX Crew-7 Mission: Now August 25

August 13, 2023Posted inCrewed, ISS, KSC, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
NASA Crew-6
Crew-6 Dragon Capsule

By: TJ Waller

The eagerly anticipated NASA SpaceX Crew-7 mission has been pushed once again and is now scheduled to take flight on a new launch date of August 25, 2023; with an instantaneous launch window of 3:49 AM EDT. This mission will mark a significant milestone in the partnership between NASA and SpaceX as they continue their collaboration in transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Crew-7 is a true testament to international cooperation, with astronauts representing four different space agencies. The mission will be commanded by NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, while European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen will serve as the pilot. Joining them as mission specialists are Satoshi Furukawa from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Konstantin Borisov from the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

NASA Crew-6 on Pad 39A
NASA Crew-6 on Pad 39A

NASA Sets New Launch Date For Crew-7 Mission

August 2, 2023Posted inCrewed, Falcon 9, ISS, KSC, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
Crew-5 Lifts Off Carrying Astronauts to the International Space Station on October 5, 2022. Photo by: Charles Boyer

(Kennedy Space Center) NASA and SpaceX announced today that they are targeting Monday, August 21 at 5:23 am EDT to launch the Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station. The launch was initially scheduled for late July but was shifted to no earlier than August 17 in order to allow for additional launch pad processing at SpaceX’s LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center.