ISS
Bridenstine confident Soyuz launches will resume “on schedule”
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said he believes launches of crewed Soyuz spacecraft will resume “on schedule” after last week’s launch failure, avoiding the possibility of leaving the International Space Station without a crew.
Soyuz failure to affect ISS utilization
With the International Space Station likely to have only a three-person crew for an extended period, researchers expect there will be less time devoted to research.
Soyuz investigators hone in on booster separation, promise conclusions Oct. 20
Roscosmos now says one of the Soyuz rocket’s four strap-on boosters failed to properly separate and nicked the core stage.
NASA to look at options to keep crew on ISS while Soyuz grounded
With Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft grounded for an indefinite period, NASA managers said Oct. 11 that they will look at ways to keep the current International Space Station crew in orbit for an extended period if needed.
Soyuz demonstrates finesse in flight and failure
Thursday’s dramatic launch abort was the first time a crewed spacecraft bound for the ISS has suffered a mission critical failure. But it was not the first time that a manned Soyuz rocket has been forced to activate its launch abort system.
ISS partners show interest in station extension
NASA’s partners in the International Space Station are showing a growing interest in extending the station’s operations beyond 2024 regardless of NASA initiatives to end direct funding of the station around that time.
House joins Senate in push to extend ISS
A key House member announced Sept. 26 that he is introducing legislation that would extend operations of the International Space Station to 2030, weeks after senators sought a similar extension.
ISS leak highlights concerns about orbital debris and station operations
As the crew of the International Space Station worked Aug. 30 to fix, at least temporarily, a minor air leak, the incident illustrated the growing orbital debris risk to the outpost and strains in American and Russian approaches to ISS operations.
New NASA advisory committee to explore enhanced commercial activities
NASA has tasked a new advisory committee with studying greater commercial activities at the agency, including selling naming rights for NASA missions and allowing astronauts to perform commercial work.
NASA keeps open option of extended commercial crew demo flights
NASA is continuing to study using commercial crew test flights as space station crew rotation missions, but won’t make a final decision regarding that until next summer.
Commercial space bill clears Senate committee
The Senate Commerce Committee approved a bill Aug. 1 that would streamline commercial launch and remote sensing regulations but also includes language conflicting with a House bill.
NASA Inspector General skeptical of ISS commercialization plans
A new report by NASA’s Office of Inspector General raises doubts about the feasibility of NASA’s plans to transfer ISS operations to the private sector in 2025.
Koichi Wakata, JAXA vice president and astronaut, helps chart future of ISS and human space exploration
Koichi Wakata, the Japanese space agency’s vice president and director general for human spaceflight technology, is intimately familiar with the International Space Station. As an astronaut, he helped assemble the space station in 2000 and lived onboard for four months in 2009 and six months in 2013 and 2014.
Microgravity entrepreneurs eager to know what comes after ISS
Uncertainty over the timing of the orbiting outpost’s retirement and the eventual transition to one or more new platforms is making it challenging for companies to attract investors and plan for the future.
Commercial crew delays threaten access to ISS, GAO warns
Amid growing concerns about commercial crew delays, a GAO report recommended NASA share more schedule information with Congress and develop contingency plans to maintain access to the International Space Station.
Trump wants NASA out of the ISS operations business. Easier said than done.
For clues on the space station’s current status and the transition ahead, SpaceNews spoke with Sam Scimemi, ISS director at NASA headquarters.
