International Space Station Archives

SpaceX completes 16th Dragon mission to ISS

Derek RichardsonJanuary 14th, 2019

After spending just over a month attached to the International Space Station, SpaceX's CRS-16 Dragon spacecraft departed the outpost and returned to Earth.

2018 showcased the International Space Station program’s elasticity

Derek RichardsonDecember 31st, 2018

The 20th year of International Space Station operations showcased the international partner agencies' ability to handle large unexpected events.

Shutdown: What’s open at NASA?

Patrick AttwellDecember 29th, 2018

With no sign that it will be resolved soon, the ongoing partial U.S. government shutdown looks to continue well into the first days or weeks of 2019. As such, it is having wide-reaching effects on NASA's operations.

Home for Christmas: Soyuz MS-09 crew lands in Kazakhstan

Derek RichardsonDecember 20th, 2018

Three people made a fiery return to Earth in the Soyuz MS-09 capsule after spending 197 days in space, mostly aboard the International Space Station.

Bringing a knife to a spacewalk: Cosmonauts inspect Soyuz leak repair

Derek RichardsonDecember 12th, 2018

During a spacewalk, two Russian cosmonauts used a knife remove thermal insulation on Soyuz MS-09 in order to inspect a leak repair made earlier in the year.

CRS-16 Dragon arrives at ISS after ground-based communications issue

Derek RichardsonDecember 8th, 2018

SpaceX’s CRS-16 Dragon was captured by the space station crew, despite a communications issue prompting a temporary retreat command being issued.

Gallery: Delayed by mice chow, CRS-16 lifts off

Jason RhianDecember 7th, 2018

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- SpaceX launched the 16th mission it has under the $1.6 billion Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA at 1:16 p.m. EST (18:16 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC 40) on Dec. 5, 2018. The CRS-16 Dragon spacecraft was loaded with 5,673 pounds (2,573 kg) of supplies, equipment, and experiments for the Expedition 57 and 58 crews aboard the ISS. The mission had been scheduled to launch the day prior but moldy mice food caused the flight's delay. After it had completed its part of the flight the Falcon 9's first stage attempted to land at Canaveral's Landing Zone 1 - but failed and ended up in the Atlantic Ocean instead.

There (almost) and back again: Crew of aborted Soyuz mission reassigned

Heather SmithDecember 6th, 2018

NASA has announced that Nick Hague will join Aleksey Ovchinin again for a launch on Feb 28, 2019, after their mission was aborted in October 2018.

With mice well-fed, SpaceX’s CRS-16 mission blasts off but fails to stick landing

Michael ColeDecember 5th, 2018

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla -- Partly cloudy skies along Florida's Space Coast provided a beautiful backdrop for the SpaceX launch of the CRS-16 resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). While a success, not everything went according to plan.

Watch exclusive live coverage of CRS-16 launch

Jason RhianDecember 5th, 2018

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- SpaceX and NASA have a Falcon 9 rocket primed and ready for flight. The mission - to send the CRS-16 Dragon to the International Space Station. SpaceFlight Insider's exclusive webcast will begin at 12:45 p.m. ET (17:45 GMT).

Gallery: Soyuz FG rocket returns to service with MS-11 flight

Jason RhianDecember 3rd, 2018

BAIKONUR COSMODRONE, Kazkhstan. — A crew of three blasted off atop a Soyuz-FG rocket at 6:31 a.m. EST (11:31 GMT) on Dec. 3, 2018, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Nine minutes later, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, NASA astronaut Anne McClain and Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques were in orbit.