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NASA, Axiom Space sign off on 2nd crewed mission to International Space Station
Read full article: NASA, Axiom Space sign off on 2nd crewed mission to International Space StationAn order for the planned Axiom Mission 2 to the International Space Station is officially signed, according to a joint statement Wednesday by NASA and Axiom Space.
NASA, SpaceX standing down from Falcon 9 space launch due to thruster issues
Read full article: NASA, SpaceX standing down from Falcon 9 space launch due to thruster issuesNASA announced Monday that both the agency and SpaceX will be standing down from this week’s Falcon 9 launch of a cargo mission to the International Space Station due to an issue with the thrusters.
NASA partners with Axiom Space for second private astronaut mission on International Space Station
Read full article: NASA partners with Axiom Space for second private astronaut mission on International Space StationAxiom Space was selected to lead the second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, NASA announced on Monday.
Dolphin gets front-row seat for Crew-1 astronauts’ splashdown return to Earth
Read full article: Dolphin gets front-row seat for Crew-1 astronauts’ splashdown return to EarthAs recovery boats waited for SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft carrying four astronauts returning home, one animal had a front-row seat for the splashdown.
Crew-1 astronauts’ return to Earth pushed to Saturday; splashdown to take place off Florida
Read full article: Crew-1 astronauts’ return to Earth pushed to Saturday; splashdown to take place off FloridaThe astronauts are set to undock from the ISS Wednesday and splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico.
World’s space achievements a bright spot in stressful 2020
Read full article: World’s space achievements a bright spot in stressful 2020The European and Russian space agencies skipped the 2020 Mars launch window, their life-sniffing Mars rover grounded until 2022 because of technical issues and COVID-19 restrictions. Three weeks later, SpaceX launched its biggest cargo shipment yet to the space station for NASA. If the repairs work and the capsule finally reaches the space station, the first Starliner astronauts could be flying by summer. The actor was in talks with NASA this year about filming a movie at the space station. “Whatever else can be said about the four years of the Trump administration, they have been positive for the U.S. civilian space program,” noted John Logsdon, professor emeritus at George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute.
WATCH LIVE: Cosmonauts conduct spacewalk at ISS
Read full article: WATCH LIVE: Cosmonauts conduct spacewalk at ISSCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX’s newly launched capsule with four astronauts arrived Monday at the International Space Station, their new home until spring. The Dragon capsule pulled up and docked late Monday night, following a 27-hour, completely automated flight from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. “Oh, what a good voice to hear,” space station astronaut Kate Rubins called out when the Dragon's commander, Mike Hopkins, first made radio contact. But it’s the first time Elon Musk’s company delivered a crew for a full half-year station stay. As they prepared for the space station linkup, the Dragon crew beamed down live window views of New Zealand and a brilliant blue, cloud-streaked Pacific 250 miles below.
Baby Yoda catches ride on SpaceX Crew Dragon into orbit with astronauts
Read full article: Baby Yoda catches ride on SpaceX Crew Dragon into orbit with astronautsKENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – Following the tradition of bringing a “gravity indicator” on their spaceflight to the International Space Station, the Crew-1 astronauts selected Baby Yoda for their journey in the SpaceX Dragon capsule. The four astronauts launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in the Crew Dragon capsule called Resilience from Kennedy Space Center in Florida Sunday evening. On the first Crew Dragon flight to the space station without astronauts SpaceX sent an Earth-shaped stuffed animal called Earthy. Baby Yoda is already on a current wave of popularity but a visit to the International Space Station probably won’t hurt. Baby Yoda from the Disney+ show "Mandalorian" seen floating in the Crew Dragon spacecraft on Nov. 15, 2020.
SpaceX Crew-1 astronaut launch from Florida shifts to Sunday due to weather
Read full article: SpaceX Crew-1 astronaut launch from Florida shifts to Sunday due to weatherKENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – SpaceX and NASA are now targeting Sunday to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center due to weather concerns. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine confirmed the 24-hour delay Friday afternoon, saying it was because of weather at sea and onshore winds. Should there be a launch abort, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft would shuttle away for a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, carrying the astronaut crew to safety. There are certain weather criteria that must be met on land for the rocket to launch and at sea in the event of an abort. “For NASA this booster and SpaceX this booster is very important for us.
NASA astronauts arrive ahead of crewed launch from Florida’s Space Coast
Read full article: NASA astronauts arrive ahead of crewed launch from Florida’s Space CoastFour astronauts headed to Kennedy Space Center on Sunday for SpaceX’s second crew launch, coming up next weekend. It will be a speedy trip to the space station, a six-orbit express lasting under nine hours. The four are scheduled to be SpaceXs second crew launch in mid-November 2020. The four will remain in orbit until spring when their replacements arrive aboard another SpaceX Dragon capsule. They will join two Russians and one American who arrived at the space station last month from Kazakhstan.
Astronauts arrive at launch site for 2nd SpaceX crew flight
Read full article: Astronauts arrive at launch site for 2nd SpaceX crew flightFor NASA, it marks the long-awaited start of regular crew rotations at the International Space Station, with private companies providing the lifts. It will be a speedy trip to the space station, a six-orbit express lasting under nine hours. “Every time there’s a Dragon launch, there will be two Dragons in space,” said Reed, director of crew mission management. NASA turned to private companies for space station deliveries — cargo, then crew — following the shuttle fleet's retirement in 2011. They will join two Russians and one American who arrived at the space station last month from Kazakhstan.
Astronauts name Dragon spacecraft Resilience, prepare for November launch
Read full article: Astronauts name Dragon spacecraft Resilience, prepare for November launchBREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The next astronauts to launch from Kennedy Space Center will begin their journey into space on the SpaceX Dragon capsule named Resilience. NASA said American astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi will catch a ride to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket. They have been training to fly in the SpaceX Dragon spaceship together at the company’s headquarters in California. On Tuesday, Hopkins revealed the astronauts have named their spacecraft Resilience. The first Crew Dragon to launch humans was named Endeavour by its passengers, NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley.
SpaceX Dragon capsule departs from space station with NASA astronauts on board
Read full article: SpaceX Dragon capsule departs from space station with NASA astronauts on boardSpace station commander Chris Cassidy rang the ship's bell as Dragon pulled away, 267 miles (430 kilometers) above Johannesburg, South Africa. "It's been a great two months, and we appreciate all you've done as a crew to help us prove out Dragon on its maiden flight, Hurley radioed to the space station. The astronauts' homecoming will cap a mission that ended a prolonged launch drought in the U.S., which has relied on Russian rockets to ferry astronauts to the space station since the end of the shuttle era. In launching Hurley and Behnken from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on May 30, SpaceX became the first private company to send people into orbit. The next SpaceX crew flight is targeted for the end of September.
SpaceX's historic encore: Astronauts arrive at space station
Read full article: SpaceX's historic encore: Astronauts arrive at space stationThe two astronauts will fly on a SpaceX test flight to the International Space Station. Once on board the space station, Hurley said the capsule, newly named Endeavour after the retired shuttle, handled extremely well. He was the pilot on the last U.S. spaceship to visit the space station — the last shuttle flight, by Atlantis, in July 2011. Until Saturday, SpaceX had launched only space station supplies or satellites. Even so, getting the two astronauts safely to orbit and then the space station had everyone breathing huge sighs of relief.