Cargo spaceship

SpaceX's Dragon 2 spacecraft blasting off atop a Falcon 9 rocket (Image courtesy SpaceX)

0

A little while ago the SpaceX Dragon 2 spacecraft blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in its CRS-21 (Cargo Resupply Service 21) mission, also referred to as SPX-21. After just over eleven minutes it separated successfully from the rocket’s last stage and went en route. This is the 21st mission for the Dragon spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station with various cargoes and then return to Earth, again with various cargoes. It’s the first mission for this Dragon version.

The Cygnus Kalpana Chawla starts its NG-14 mission blasting off atop an Antares rocket (Photo Wallops/Patrick Black)

0

A few hours ago Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft blasted off atop an Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), part of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) on Wallops Island. After about nine minutes it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage went en route to its destination. This is its 14th official mission, called NG-14 or CRS NG-14, to transport supplies to the International Space Station for NASA.

The Progress MS-15 cargo spacecraft approaching the International Space Station (Image NASA)

1

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.

The HTV-9 cargo spacecraft captured by the Canadarm2 robotic arm (Image NASA TV)

1

A little while ago the HTV-9 “Kounotori” spacecraft was captured by the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, operated by Chris Cassidy with the assistance of Ivan Vagner. The Japanese space cargo ship, which blasted off last Wednesday, carries a huge amount of supplies and experiments. After its capture, they started the slow moving of HTV-9 to its berthing location on the Harmony module, where it will be safely installed.