Roscosmos

Russia skeptical about participating in lunar Gateway
The head of Russia’s space agency said that the lunar Gateway, part of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program, is too “U.S.-centric” for it to participate in, even though the Gateway leverages the existing International Space Station partnership.

ISS crew to spend weekend in one module to track down air leak
The three-person crew of the International Space Station will spend the weekend confined to a single module to help engineers track down the source of a small but persistent air leak there.

Commercial crew success prompts congratulations and criticism from Russia
The successful launch of the first crewed orbital flight from the United States in nearly nine years has met with a mixed reaction from Russia, with formal congratulations from Russian leadership but skepticism from others.

Soyuz launches new crew to the International Space Station
A Soyuz rocket successfully launched a new crew to the International Space Station April 9 on a mission that overcame complications from a global pandemic and a change in crew members.

NASA selects astronauts for Crew Dragon mission
NASA has completed the crew for the first operational SpaceX commercial crew mission to the International Space Station, one that will not include any Russian cosmonauts after Roscosmos officials said they would not fly on what they consider an unproven vehicle.

ExoMars rover mission delayed to late 2022
The ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission has been delayed to 2022 due to a lack of time to qualify hardware vital to the spacecraft.

ExoMars parachute tests delayed, mission faces review
The European and Russian space agencies have delayed crucial ExoMars 2020 parachute tests to late March, with the mission also set to undergo review.

Globalstar borrows $199M with EchoStar’s help • Measat buys Ariane 5 launch
Globalstar is borrowing $199 million through a loan arranged by its controlling shareholder Thermo and fleet operator EchoStar.

ISS partners endorse modified Gateway plans
NASA’s partners in the International Space Station remain committed to participating in the lunar Gateway despite changes to the program earlier this year that could delay their contributions to the outpost.

Budget proposal, ISS partners provide new momentum for lunar Gateway
NASA’s plans to develop a crewed facility in lunar orbit to support exploration of the moon got boosts both in the White House’s budget request for the agency as well as from the partners in the International Space Station.

NASA planning to purchase additional Soyuz seats
NASA is considering buying two additional seats on Soyuz spacecraft to ensure a continued American presence on the International Space Station amid worries about additional delays in commercial crew flights.

Bridenstine and Rogozin speak by phone after canceled visit
Ten days after NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine effectively canceled a visit to the United States by the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, the two spoke by phone Jan. 14 to smooth over differences between the two.


Crewed Soyuz flights set to resume after Russia blames close call on final-assembly error
With the cause of the Oct. 11 failure identified, crewed launches of Soyuz-FG launch vehicles are set to resume. The next launch is scheduled for Dec. 3

Arianespace Soyuz launch schedule unaffected by Russian MS-10 failure
An Arianespace Soyuz mission will launch Nov. 7 without any delays resulting from the failure of a crewed, Russian-operated Soyuz launch earlier this month, Arianespace said Oct. 30.