Stay updated with the latest events in spaceflight.
NASA is advancing American leadership in space by taking the next step toward a future where commercial space stations lead the way in low Earth orbit. On Friday, the agency released its final Request for Proposals inviting industry to submit plans for the next generation of commercial space stations. “In alignment with the President’s National […]
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NASA is testing heat shields that can keep astronauts safe as they return from missions to the Moon and Mars in an unusual way: by taking out the trash. When Northrop Grumman 24th cargo resupply mission for NASA undocked from the International Space Station, it carried a fleet of 12 small, experimental capsules designed to […]
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Ship 42 for Flight 15 has headed back out to Massey’s for more cryo-proof testing… The post Ship 40 Returns Home as Ship 42 gets more Cryo Proof Testing appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
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Galaxies warp and multiply as if in a house of mirrors in this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released on Sept. 29, 2026. The brilliant golden galaxies seen here are part of a galaxy cluster called MACS J0454.1-0300. The orange galaxies bunched together on one side of the image, however, are not actually […]
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The Italian Space Agency (ASI) is exploring the development of a dedicated orbital platform capable of generating artificial gravity to support scientific research and technology development. ASI announced the initiative on 8 October and expects to open a consultation with the scientific and technological community later this month to gather research requirements, ideas and potential […] The post Italy Explores Building an Artificial Gravity Research Platform in Orbit appeared first on European Spaceflight.
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Spacecraft Release
The Northrop Grumman NG-24 Cygnus will be unberthed from the ISS before initiating a destructive reentry into the Earth's atmosphere taking waste along with it.
Docking
Following its launch atop a Falcon 9, the CRS-35 Dragon will autonomously dock to the ISS, bringing crew supplies as well as experiments.
Press Event
After more than seven months aboard the International Space Station, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles. The crew members will discuss their science mission during a news conference at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will answer questions about their mission.
Founded: 1998-11-20
The International Space Station (ISS) is a space station, or a habitable artificial satellite, in low Earth orbit. Its first component was launched into orbit in 1998, with the first long-term residents arriving in November 2000. It has been inhabited continuously since that date. The last pressurised module was fitted in 2011, and an experimental inflatable space habitat was added in 2016. The station is expected to operate until 2030. Development and assembly of the station continues, with several new elements scheduled for launch in 2019. The ISS is the largest human-made body in low Earth orbit and can often be seen with the naked eye from Earth. The ISS consists of pressurised habitation modules, structural trusses, solar arrays, radiators, docking ports, experiment bays and robotic arms. ISS components have been launched by Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets, and American Space Shuttles.
Founded: 1986-02-20
Mir was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. Mir was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996. The station served as a microgravity research laboratory in which crews conducted experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology and spacecraft systems with a goal of developing technologies required for permanent occupation of space.
Founded: 1973-05-14
Skylab was a United States space station launched and operated by NASA, and occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974 – the only space station the U.S. has operated exclusively. In 1979 it fell back to Earth amid huge worldwide media attention. Skylab included a workshop, a solar observatory, and other systems necessary for crew survival and scientific experiments. It was launched unmanned by a modified Saturn V rocket, with a weight of 170,000 pounds (77,000 kg). Lifting Skylab into low earth orbit was the final mission and launch of a Saturn V rocket (famous for carrying the manned Moon landing missions). Three missions delivered three-astronaut crews in the Apollo command and service module (Apollo CSM), launched by the smaller Saturn IB rocket. For the final two manned missions to Skylab, a backup Apollo CSM/Saturn IB was assembled and made ready in case an in-orbit rescue mission was needed, but this backup vehicle was never flown.