Successful liftoff of the Progress 56 cargo and docking to ISS soon

Dear readers and followers,

last night, the ISS Progress 56 has lifted off (3:44 a.m. local time on July 24 in Baikonur), from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The spacecraft is loaded with about 2600 kg of food, fuel and supplies for the six-person Expedition 40 crew in ISS.

Credit image: Roscosmos

Astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo of the International Space Station orbiting Earth saying, "We have an open parking spot up here. First come first served! Progress launches tonight." 

Credit image: Reid Wiseman

Stay tuned for the docking

Successful docking of Soyuz TMA-12M with ISS after engine trouble delays arrival

Dear readers and followers,

Wednesday March 26th, we reported that the Soyuz spacecraft which liftoff from Baikonur had to change the docking procedure to the International Space Station (ISS) due to a engine failure during its space launch.

Today, the Russian spacecraft arrived and docked with ISS using the previous standard procedure which needed 2 additional days of flight (34 Earth orbit).

Credit: Euronews 

The new crew considering 3 astronauts, the Russian Cosmonauts Aleksandr Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev and the NASA astronaut Steven R. Swanson will spend 6 months in the international Space Station.

Stay tuned

Progress M-22M docks with ISS 6 hours after its launch

Dear followers,

last Wednesday, February 5, the Progress M-22M spacecraft was launched by a Soyuz-U rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:23pm UTC. The Russian Progress M-22M, has successfully docked to ISS just 6 hours after launching from Baikonur. 

The space launch happened Less than 24 hours since its Progress M-20M cargo craft undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), following six months in residence.

Credit: +Roscosmos press service

The craft is full of cargo and supplies for the 6 membered Expedition 38 crew. Docking occurred at 22:22 UTC. With around 750 flights, the Soyuz-U is the most-flown orbital launch system ever developed.

Live the docking to the International Space Station in video :

Orbital Sciences' Cygnus cargo was berthed and installed with success to ISS

Dear followers,

after its successful lift-off from Earth 3 days ago, the Antares rocket developed by Orbital Sciences released its payload and the Cygnus was berthed and installed with success to the International Science Station. 

Credit image : Orbital Sciences

The module will remain for around one month while the crew of the space station transfers the 1.5 tons of provisions and experiments delivered by the private capsule, Cygnus. Enjoy the video:

Credit : +NASA 

ATV4 report mission for week 42

Dear followers,

on June 15th, the ATV Albert Einstein has arrived at the International Space Station, making a successful rendezvous and docking. After 4 months docked to the international space station, the last steps of the ATV-4 are planned before to undock (October 28th) and reentry (November 2nd) :

• 17 October: Cargo transfer
• 17 October: ATV Proximity Communications Equipment (PCE) installation on board ISS
• 18 October: Cargo transfer
• 19 October: PCE test between ISS and ESA ground stations

Credits: +NASA / +European Space Agency, ESA 

Sources: +European Space Agency, ESA 

ATV4 approache to ISS last Saturday

Credits: +European Space Agency, ESA 

ATV-4 Docking sequence to ISS

Credits: +European Space Agency, ESA 

Departure of the Russian Cargo Progress from ISS

Dear readers,

two weeks after its docking to the International Space Station with 3 cosmonauts, the Russian space cargo, called Progress 51 docked with success. The spacecraft has taken off from Baikonur in Kazakhstan on May 28 with the Russian rocket Soyuz. The three cosmonauts were  Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian space agency, Karen Nyberg from +NASA  and +Luca Parmitano  from +European Space Agency, ESA . 

Credits: +NASA 

The Progress 51P has been loaded with trash from the Space Station. After some a series of engine burns the spacecraft will be destroyed into Earth's atmosphere. The actual deorbit will occur on 19 June at 12:52 GMT.

The docking area of the International Space Station is now clear for docking with ATV-4 on Saturday 15 at 13:46 GMT.

Stay tune !

Successful Ariane 5 liftoff with ATV-4

Dear followers,

Yesterday we said you that the European space rocket, Ariane 5, built by +Arianespace, will liftoff from Kourou on the evening. The space launcher had carried with success the 4th resupply cargo spacecraft, ATV to the International Space Station (ISS).  The successful launch occurred as scheduled from Kourou, the Guiana Space Centre at 18:52 local time (23:52 CET).

Credis: CNES

The ATV control center at CNES (French space agency) in Toulouse is buzzing with activity after the cargo spacecraft weighing more than 20 tonnes was orbited. it's a new launch mass record for Europe’s heavy-lift vehicle. The ATV-4 is carrying equipment, food, fuel and oxygen for the station’s crew.

Now, the ATV-4 is slowly moving to the ISS, where it is scheduled to dock on 15 June.

More details of the docking will be releave soon, so stay tune

Docking to ISS and welcome onboard to Soyuz crew !

Dear follower,

after the successful of lift-off of the Soyuz rocket from Baikonur in Kazacktsan yesterday night, the docking was performed with success and the three member of the crew in now on-board.

You can watch the docking and the hatch opening to the International Space Station on the following video:

It's good to know them safe and on-board ISS, while the sensor trouble revealed in our previous post. Enjoy this video! It's just awesome !!!

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Docking sensor still to be fixed on ISS before next ATV approach

Dear follower,

on June 5th, the European ATV should take off withe Ariane 5 to the International Space Station. However, the engineers are still working on a potential problem with a Laser Radar Reflector (LRR) which allows the spacecraft’s autonomous approach to the station. On April 26, Progress M-19M cargo docked at the ISS with one of its KURS (docking system) folded, due to a failure in the deployment mechanism.

The +European Space Agency, ESA didn't communicated about the possible issue or the solutions to fix the problem. However, Josh Byerly from +NASA  revealed that the Progress’ stowed antenna that may have caused the damage in the vicinity of the docking area, where are located the ATV’s navigation aids.

Engineers were not able to assess the potential damage on ISS because the area where the reflector is located is not visible from inside the station. Only external cameras of departing spacecraft could take a look to the critical area.  In the worst case scenario, ATV carries a backup docking system using telegoniometers that emit laser light at a different wavelength.

Although it is still to be confirmed, it is likely that the next crewed Soyuz set to launch on May 28 would be used to fly a replacement of the device.

We should get more news soon, so stay tune.

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Progress 51 cargo spacecraft is docking soon: watch it in live !

The Progress 51 cargo spacecraft is going to dock to the International Space Station. The automated approach and docking is planned at 8:26 a.m. EDT. 

2 days ago a problem happened during the antenna deployment after the resupply craft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan April 24.

You could follow and watch the docking to ISS in live on +NASA TV there.