Tag: ISS
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Varda Gears Up for Fifth Reentry Mission, Managing Two Spacecraft in Orbit for the First Time
Varda Space Industries is preparing for its fifth reentry mission, marking the first time the company will operate two spacecraft simultaneously in orbit. The mission is scheduled to launch aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-15 rideshare, joining the firm’s existing W-4 spacecraft already circling Earth. The California-based startup is ramping up operations to increase its launch cadence, with…
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Vast completes Haven-1 structural testing, launches pathfinder mission
With NASA set to decommission the International Space Station (ISS) in 2030, Vast is racing to launch the first commercial space station, which it hopes will ultimately replace the ISS. The company has now completed an important milestone in the production of its first space station. Vast is a space station company founded in 2021…
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Artemis spacesuits tested as existing ISS suits are showing their age
As the Artemis program works toward its first lunar landing on the Artemis III mission later this decade, new lunar spacesuits are finally being tested by Axiom Space. Meanwhile, the existing spacesuits aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are showing their age. A new inspector general report detailed risks to the Station’s extra vehicular activity…
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JAXA’s HTV-X1 launched to ISS aboard H3 Rocket
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched its advanced HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at Tanegashima Space Center on Sunday. The launch had been delayed for days due to poor weather at the picturesque launch site. The mission utilized JAXA’s H3-24L rocket, an expendable launch system…
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Japan prepares new ISS cargo vehicle as trio of cargo spacecraft deliver new experiments and hardware
The International Space Station (ISS) recently welcomed three spacecraft that delivered much-needed cargo to support Expedition 73’s seven-member astronaut crew, ensuring the crew and Station are supplied with food, water, clothing, and equipment. Meanwhile, the crew continued with its usual collection of experiments and maintenance tasks. As the Progress, Cargo Dragon, and Cygnus spacecraft continue…
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NASA’s contract overhaul puts Dream Chaser’s ISS future in jeopardy
NASA has announced significant modifications to its contract with Sierra Space for the Dream Chaser spacecraft, effectively scrapping guaranteed resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) and downgrading its debut flight to a standalone orbital demonstration. This development raises serious questions about whether the long-awaited “baby shuttle” will ever fulfill its original promise of…
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NASA’s contract overhaul puts Dream Chaser’s ISS future in jeopardy
NASA has announced significant modifications to its contract with Sierra Space for the Dream Chaser spacecraft, effectively scrapping guaranteed resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) and downgrading its debut flight to a standalone orbital demonstration. This development raises serious questions about whether the long-awaited “baby shuttle” will ever fulfill its original promise of…
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SpaceX launches Cygnus XL to ISS on CRS NG-23 mission
Just days after the Progress MS-32 cargo ship launched to the International Space Station from Kazakhstan, SpaceX launched the first flight of a stretched Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL cargo ship to the Station for an additional delivery of supplies. The Cygnus XL cargo ship, named S.S. William C. “Willie” McCool after the pilot of Columbia…
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Progress MS-32 launches to ISS from Baikonur
Just over two weeks after the CRS-33 cargo delivery to the International Space Station, another cargo ship is now flying to humanity’s orbital outpost, this time from the other side of the world. Progress MS-32, which rolled out to its launch pad on Monday, Sept. 8, flew atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from Site 31/6…
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Launch Roundup: Cygnus XL and Progress fly cargo missions to ISS
Two cargo resupply missions have launched to the International Space Station this week. A Russian Soyuz launched the Progress MS-32 spacecraft Thursday, to be followed on Sunday by a Falcon 9 carrying Northrop Grumman’s new Cygnus XL vehicle. In addition to Cygnus XL, Falcon 9 launched one Starlink mission and two customer missions. Russia and…