NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) experienced a flight computer reset during a planned contact and the spacecraft went into contingency mode on Feb. 18. While fight computer resets have happened before, this time the team lost the ability to command the spacecraft during the subsequent reset recovery. The team also was unsuccessful in regaining command …
One spacecraft is soaring toward the International Space Station as another spaceship targets its launch to the orbiting lab early next week. Meanwhile, the seven Expedition 68 members living in space are gearing up for the new spaceship arrivals and preparing for the departure of four crewmates, all while continuing a host of microgravity research. …
Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Pilot Sunita “Suni” Williams, the NASA astronauts who will fly to the International Space Station on NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT), completed the first part of a critical two-part Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) this week. During CEIT, Wilmore and Williams, along with NASA astronaut and backup test pilot …
This morning, Feb. 24, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will launch the company’s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft and Crew-6 crew members to the International Space Station reached a key milestone ahead of liftoff. While standing on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida, the rocket’s nine Merlin first-stage engines roared …
The uncrewed Soyuz spacecraft is safely in orbit headed for the International Space Station following launch at 7:24 p.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 23, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After a two-day journey, the unpiloted spacecraft will dock automatically to the Poisk module’s space-facing port at 8:01 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25. NASA coverage of rendezvous …
NASA TV coverage is underway for the launch of an uncrewed Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station. Soyuz will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:24 p.m. EST (5:24 a.m. Feb. 24, Baikonur time). Launch and docking activities will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. After …
After launching in December 2022, the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission started commissioning activities – the six-month checkout period before the scientific mission begins. Commissioning has included turning on all the science instruments, among them the main science instrument, the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn), which engineers fully powered on in mid-January 2023. …
In the early-morning hours on Friday, Feb. 24, NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, will participate in a countdown dress rehearsal at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for the upcoming Crew-6 launch, targeted for 1:45 a.m. …
Payloads: Astrobee Maneuvering by Robotic Manipulator Hopping (Astrobatics): Astrobatics skins were installed onto the Astrobee free-fliers and science session #4 was performed. Astrobatics demonstrates the Astrobee robotic vehicles using robotic manipulators to execute a hopping or self-toss maneuver as the primary means of propulsion, making it mostly propellant-less. Astrobee performs increasingly complex maneuvers between handrails …
Two rockets on opposites side of the world stand ready to launch to the International Space Station as four Expedition 68 crew members prepare to return to Earth. Meanwhile, some of the orbital residents are relaxing today as others continue their critical microgravity research operations ahead of the upcoming spacecraft arrivals. The Soyuz MS-23 crew …
