Tag: ISS
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Cygnus completes ISS arrival as ULA investigate Atlas V launch
Orbital ATK’s Cygnus resupply ship has berthing at the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday morning. Cygnus launched to orbit on its second ride on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V and enjoyed a nominal deployment from the rocket – although ULA is investigating why the Centaur upper stage had to modify its burn time to push…
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OA-6 Cygnus launched to the ISS via Atlas V
Beginning its sixth flight Tuesday night, Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft lifted off atop an Atlas rocket to begin a two-month mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the OA-6 mission from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral was on schedule at 23:05:51 local time (03:05 UTC on Wednesday), with berthing expected on Saturday. Cygnus OA-6: Tuesday’s…
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Soyuz TMA-20M docks and delivers three new crewmembers to the ISS
A Russian Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft launched three new crewmembers en route to the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday. Launch occurred from pad No. 1 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 21:26 UTC (17:26 Eastern) followed by docking with the ISS six hours later at 03:09 UTC on 19 March (Eastern on 18 March).…
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Year In Space mission ends with Soyuz TMA-18M return
After 340 days in space, the Year In Space mission has ended, following the undocking from the ISS, deorbit, and subsiquent landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan. The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft returned Year In Space participants Scott Kelly and Mikhail Korniyenko as well as Soyuz Commander Sergey Volkov, with landing marked at 23:26 EST 1 March…
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OA-4 Cygnus ends ISS mission with high praise and success
Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft, the “Deke Slayton II”, has completed unberthing and separation operations from the International Space Station following a highly successful OA-4 Return To Flight mission. The ISS crew released Cygnus at 07:26 EST (12:26 GMT) on Friday morning after 72 days of docked operations – with Saturday marking her destructive re-entry. The…
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Orbital ATK OA-6 mission to debut new science objectives for company
While Orbital ATK’s first Enhanced Cygnus spacecraft performs well at the International Space Station, the company is looking ahead to its next mission, the OA-6 resupply flight that, while delayed until at least 22 March due to a mold contamination issue, is set to debut new science initiatives for Orbital ATK and Cygnus. OA-6 delay:…
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Dextre demo paving the way for robotic EVA assistance
The Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) has completed a series of tests aimed at reducing the human EVA workload involved with the installation of new batteries on the International Space Station (ISS). The impressive Canadian robot – more commonly known as “Dextre” – worked through three days of Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) demonstrations ahead of…
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SpaceX prepares for SES-9 mission and Dragon’s return
Two SpaceX missions have received preliminary planning dates for their upcoming launches out of Cape Canaveral. The Falcon 9 launch with the SES-9 satellite is now aiming for a February 24 liftoff from SLC-40, while the Dragon spacecraft is set to return to action NET (No Earlier Than) April 1 for her CRS-8 mission to…
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Russian duo successfully complete ISS EVA – US suit investigation continues
Expedition 46 duo Yuri Malenchenko and Sergey Volkov have completed a highly successful Russian EVA-42 on Wednesday, involving the deployment and retrieval of several experiment packages on the Zvezda and Poisk modules. Meanwhile, officials continue to investigate last month’s EVA, which was terminated early after water entered the helmet of Tim Kopra. RS-42: This latest EVA…
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Orbital ATK ready for Antares’ second life
Orbital ATK managers have finalized their procedures related to the newly upgraded Antares launch vehicle in readiness for upcoming missions to help deliver their Cygnus spacecraft on resupply runs to the International Space Station (ISS). The new Antares required a reworking of how to prepare the rocket for launch, such as moving away from sub-cooled…