Tag: Russia
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ESA Chief Calls for Independent European Human Spaceflight Capability
European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher has called for Europe to establish its own independent human spaceflight capability, arguing that the continent has become overly dependent on decisions made by foreign partners. In an opinion article published on May 18, Aschbacher said recent changes to the United States’ Artemis programme architecture and Europe’s reduced…
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Russia Joins US-China GEO Inspector Satellite Arms Race
What does Russia’s entry into GEO inspector operations mean for orbital security? Russia has deployed its first known inspector satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO), completing a three-way surveillance competition with the US and China at the critical 35,786 km altitude. The development marks a significant escalation in space domain awareness capabilities, with all three major…
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Russia debuts new rocket with maiden Soyuz-5 launch
Russia’s brand new Soyuz-5 rocket made its first flight on Saturday, lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Thursday on a suborbital demonstration mission with a dummy payload that will pave the way for its entry into service. This launch is something the Baikonur Cosmodrome has not witnessed for many decades – the debut of…
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Russia Deploys Co-Orbital ASAT Weapons Targeting US Spy Satellites
Is Russia Now Targeting US Spy Satellites with Co-Orbital Weapons? Russia has transitioned from testing to operationally deploying co-orbital anti-satellite weapons that are actively shadowing valuable US government satellites, according to General Stephen Whiting, commander of US Space Command. The four-star general’s assessment marks a significant escalation in space-based threats, with Russia’s Nivelir program having…
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Launch Preview: SLS, Falcon 9, Atlas V, and Soyuz launches comprise busy launch manifest
Nine launches are scheduled this week, with rockets expected to liftoff from Florida, California, Russia, Kazakhstan, and China. Most notably, NASA’s long-awaited Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch the first humans to the Moon in over 50 years on Wednesday. SpaceX has four Starlink missions scheduled for the week, with Falcon 9 launching two…
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Launch Previews: International launches fill manifest during last full week of 2025
The last full week of 2025 will be a busy one, with nine launches scheduled on the launch manifest. Of these, only one will launch from the United States — a single Falcon 9 mission from California. Innospace looks to finally debut their Hanbit-Nano rocket after several delays at the beginning of the week, with…
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Russia is about to do the most Russia thing ever with its next space station
For several years now, in discussing plans for its human spaceflight program beyond the International Space Station, Russian officials would proudly bring up the Russian Orbital Station, or ROS. The first elements of ROS were to launch in 2027 so it would be ready for human habitation in 2028. Upon completion in the mid-2030s, the…
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All eight ISS docking ports occupied for the first time, Expedition 74 begins
After the arrival of the MS-28 spacecraft on Nov. 27, all eight docking ports on the International Space Station (ISS) were occupied for the first time in its 27-year history. November also marked 25 years of continuous human presence on the orbiting laboratory. With seven vehicles currently docked at the Station and seven crew members…
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Russia left without access to ISS following structure collapse at Baikonur launch site
On Nov. 27, after the launch of the Soyuz 2.1a rocket with the Soyuz MS-28 crew and spacecraft, an accident occurred on the launch pad at Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The launch itself was successful, and the crew — consisting of Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, and NASA astronaut Christopher Williams…
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Russia’s Soyuz 5 will soon come alive. But will anyone want to fly on it?
After nearly a decade of development, Russia’s newest launch vehicle is close to its debut flight. The medium-lift Soyuz 5 rocket is expected to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome before the end of the year. The Russian space corporation, Roscosmos, has released images of final processing of the Soyuz 5 rocket at the Progress Rocket…