Tag: ISS
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ISS robotics assess AMS-02 health, potential EVA, five years into operations
The International Space Station’s robotic assets paid a recent visit to AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer -02) to survey the external health of the payload and gain imagery ahead of a potential servicing EVA. This week marked the fifth anniversary since AMS-02 was launched to the orbital outpost in the payload bay of Space Shuttle Endeavour, as…
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NASA and Roscosmos discuss ISS suicide plunge requirements
ISS partners – NASA and Roscosmos – have conducted a bilateral Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM) to refine procedures relating to the disposal of the Station at the end of its service life, or in the event of an emergency. The deorbit burn capability – which won’t exist until at least 2017 – requires multiple docked vehicles firing…
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CRS-8 Dragon completes ISS mission, splashes down in Pacific
After 31 days of docked operations at the International Space Station (ISS), SpaceX’s CRS-8 Dragon spacecraft completed the final aspect of its mission as astronauts aboard the Station unberthed the spacecraft to send it on its way toward a fiery reentry into Earth’s atmosphere for a splashdown and recovery in the Pacific Ocean, which was successfully…
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BEAM installed on ISS following CRS-8 Dragon handover
The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) was finally installed on the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday. The Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) was involved with the removal of the payload from trunk section of the recently arrived CRS-8 Dragon, prior to translating the new module to the Station’s Node 3 port. BEAM: The…
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55 years after Gagarin, ULA & Bigelow present commercial space stations
April 12, 1961: the USSR ushered in the era of human spaceflight with the launch of Yuri Gagarin on a single orbit flight of the Earth. Now 55 years after the historic first human spaceflight, United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Bigelow Aerospace have unveiled plans for the first ever commercial space stations. Vostok 1/Yuri Gagarin: How…
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ULA and Bigelow announce partnership for first commercial space stations
United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Bigelow Aerospace have announced a partnership agreement to launch two of Bigelow’s inflatable B330 space habitats. The modules would be designed and built by Bigelow Aerospace and launched by ULA’s veteran Atlas V rocket and would provide commercial, “democratized” access to Low Earth Orbit research facilities. The agreement: The announcement…
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ISS welcomes CRS-8 Dragon after flawless launch
For the first time in a year, the International Space Station has welcomed the arrival of a Dragon spacecraft from SpaceX following a flawless launch Friday afternoon from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The complex orbital rendezvous culminated Sunday morning at approximately 07:12 EDT (11:12 UTC) with the capture of Dragon ahead of berthing…
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SpaceX return Dragon to space as Falcon 9 nails ASDS landing
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft returned to flight Friday with the CRS-8 resupply mission to the International Space Station: a mission which also carries a prototype inflatable module for the outpost. The first Dragon mission since a launch failure last June, Friday’s mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 16:43 EDT (20:43 UTC), followed by a historic…
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SpaceX conducts Falcon 9 static fire ahead of CRS-8 mission
SpaceX has conducted a crucial static fire of their Falcon 9 rocket ahead of Dragon’s return to flight mission to the International Space Station. The company transported its Falcon 9 rocket for the CRS-8 mission to its seaside launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Tuesday for the milestone test ahead of…
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Progress MS-2/63P resupply mission arrives at the ISS
Russia’s Progress MS-2 cargo vehicle has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday. This mission is the first of three Russian resupply efforts to the Space Station this year and the second immediate resupply mission to the ISS in the last nine days following the Orbital ATK Cygnus launch. Progress MS-2/63P: The…