Space Stations
Mission Crew-1: the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft has reached the International Space Station completing the Expedition 64 crew
A few hours ago, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft docked to the International Space Station’s Harmony module completing the first part of its Crew-1 or SpaceX Crew-1 mission that began last Sunday with its launch. After checking that the pressure is correctly balanced, the hatch was opened to allow Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, and Soichi Noguchi to enter the Station.
The arrival of three new astronauts on the International Space Station completes the Expedition 63 crew
A few hours ago the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and after a little more than three hours reached the International Space Station with three astronauts on board: Kate Rubins, Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov. For the first time, the ultra-fast route was used which halves the journey duration. In the period preceding a launch, it’s normal for astronauts and cosmonauts to remain in quarantine. In this case it was also extended to the personnel who managed the launch, with limits to the people who could have been in Baikonur.
Mission NG-14 accomplished: the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft has reached the International Space Station
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, launched last Friday, October 2, has just reached the International Space Station and was captured by the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Astronaut Chris Cassidy, assisted by cosmonaut Ivan Vagner, will soon begin the slow maneuver to move the Cygnus until it docks with the Station’s Unity module after about two hours.
The Russian Progress MS-15 spacecraft has reached the International Space Station
A few hours ago the Progress MS-15 spacecraft blasted off atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After about nine minutes it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage and was placed on its ultra-fast track in its resupply mission to the International Space Station also called Progress 76 or 76P. After almost 3.5 hours it reached the International Space Station docking with its Pirs module. There was a moment of uncertainty because the cargo freighter was berthing with a misalignment, but the problem was quickly resolved.
