Tag: ISS
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Spacewalk set to fix external MDM failure on ISS
The International Space Station (ISS) suffered a failure of an external computer known as a Multiplexer/Demultiplexer (MDM) on Friday night (11 April), which will require a spacewalk on April 22 to replace in order to restore vital redundancy to the station. Despite the challenges, SpaceX’s Dragon CRS-3 mission – which could have been impacted by…
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Progress M-23M docks with ISS following fast track launch
Just two months after the previous resupply run, another Russian Progress spacecraft launched on a fast-rendezvous mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday. Progress M-23M (P55) was lofted uphill via a Soyuz-U launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:26 am EDT, ahead of docking that occurred just six hours later. Progress Mission:…
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Range Realigns – SpaceX CRS-3 mission targets April 14
Thanks in part to the successful launch – at the first attempt – of the Atlas V with the DMSP-5D3 F-19 satellite on Thursday, teams have re-planned the next two launches from Cape Canaveral. The next Atlas V – with the NROL-67 satellite – is targeting April 10, while SpaceX’s Falcon 9 v1.1 launch with the…
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Soyuz TMA-12M successfully docks with ISS
Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov, Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev and NASA’s Steven Swanson – riding in the Soyuz TMA-12M – have finally docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday. After what was a delayed arrival – caused by a problem with a key burn during what was supposed to be a six hour trip…
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ESA involved in effort to improve the eyesight of spacecraft
The European Space Agency (ESA) will test new rendezvous sensors on their next Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-5) mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The Laser InfraRed Imaging Sensors (LIRIS) will provide another example of the continuing improvements to the “eyesight” of spacecraft, as they conduct rendezvous and docking operations. Rendezvous: The successful rendezvous and docking of spacecraft…
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SpaceX’s CRS-3 Dragon contamination concern cleared
A sewing machine, used to stitch the cloth shields that are used to protect payloads in Dragon’s trunk, is understood to have been a potential cause of the oil contamination that played a part in a postponement to the CRS-3/SpX-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). However, on Friday, SpaceX noted they had cleared…
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Orbital set May 6 for next Cygnus mission to the ISS
The next launch of Orbital’s Cygnus spacecraft has been targeted for a No Earlier Than (NET) launch target of May 6. The CRS-2/ORB-2 mission will be launched by the company’s Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA Wallops in Virginia – the fourth launch of Orbital’s new medium class rocket, providing the ride uphill…
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SpaceX delays Dragon’s CRS-3 mission by two weeks
SpaceX made a late postponement to the CRS-3/SpX-3 mission to the International Space Station on Thursday, citing “open items” that require additional time to remedy. The launch – which was originally set for March 16 – will have to wait until the end of the month at the earliest, as Dragon sets her sights on…
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Soyuz TMA-10M returns trio to Earth
The three crewmembers of Soyuz TMA-10M have safely returned to Earth, following their landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of Dzhezkazgan. Expedition 38 Commander Oleg Kotov, along with Flight Engineers Sergey Ryazanskiy and Michael Hopkins, concluded their mission in space, with a parachute assisted touchdown in frigid conditions. Soyuz TMA-10M: Due to the wintry conditions…
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Falcon 9 v1.1 conducts Static Fire ahead of CRS-3 mission
SpaceX have fired up their Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle during a Static Fire (Hot Fire) test on Saturday, allowing for a health check and countdown dress rehearsal ahead of their next flight of their Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). The CRS-3/SpX-3 Dragon is tracking a launch – her first on the…