Page 6 - International Space Station

Astronauts' health focus of study on multidrug-resistant pathogens

The current study emphasises the critical need to investigate the pathogenic potential of microorganisms in space environments to safeguard astronaut health

WATCH: Sunita Williams scripts history as pilot of maiden Starliner flight

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams created history by becoming the first woman to fly on the maiden mission of Boeing's Starliner test flight to the International Space Station

Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore test unique Starliner piloting capability

On the way to the International Space Station aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore tested out a unique capability of the spacecraft on orbit manual piloting. Williams flew to space for the third time on Wednesday along with Wilmore, scripting history as the first members aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on a 25-hour flight to the International Space Station (ISS). Williams, 58, is the pilot for the flight test while Wilmore, 61, is the commander of the mission. Although the spacecraft is usually autonomous, the crew used the hand controller to point and aim the spacecraft during about two hours of free-flight demonstrations. During a far-field demo, they pointed Starliner's nose toward the Earth so that its communications antenna on the back of the Service Module was pointed at the Tracking and Data Relay satellites. They then moved the Starliner so that its solar array pointed at the sun to show they cou

Boeing, Nasa target June 5 for Starliner's debut crew flight to ISS

Once launched, the Starliner is expected to arrive at the space station after a flight of about 24 hours and dock with the orbiting research outpost some 250 miles (402 km) above Earth

Last minute issue halts launch of Boeing's first astronaut flight

Boeing took another crack Saturday at launching astronauts for the first time aboard its new space capsule, after a delay for leak checks and rocket repairs. The company's Starliner capsule was due to rocket away at midday with a pair of test pilots to the International Space Station for a weeklong stay. The test drive should have happened years ago. But problems kept piling up, most recently a leak that went unnoticed until the first launch attempt with a crew in early May. NASA wants a backup to SpaceX, which has been flying astronauts for four years. United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket is providing the lift from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Nasa shares spectacular image of spiral galaxy named after Egyptian queen

Nasa shared a stunning image of a spiral galaxy, which is named after the Egyptian queen Berenice II. Here's all you need to know about it

US to send Indian astronaut to ISS by year-end, says Eric Garcetti

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti has said America will send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station by the end of this year. The NISAR project, a joint Earth-observing mission between US space agency NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is also likely to be launched by the end of the year, Garcetti said on Wednesday. We are going to put an Indian astronaut into the International Space Station this year," he said. We promised when PM (Narendra) Modi came (to the US in 2023) that by the end of this year, we will do this and our mission is still on track to be able to go in space this year, he said. The US ambassador was speaking on the sidelines of an event to mark the 248th Independence Day of the United States. He said both India and the US should look at coordinating research and critical emerging technology so that they can increasingly leverage each other's strengths. The diplomat said India landed Chandrayaan 3' on the Moon last year at a

Nasa again defers Boeing's Starliner crewed mission after helium leak

Earlier launch on May 7 was cancelled due to issue with space capsule's oxygen relief valve

Boeing delays first astronaut launch for week to replace faulty valve

Boeing's first astronaut launch is off until late next week because of a bad valve in the rocket that needs to be replaced. The countdown was halted Monday night after a pressure-relief valve in the Atlas V rocket's upper stage opened and closed so quickly and so many times that it created a loud buzz. Engineers for United Launch Alliance determined Tuesday that the valve has exceeded its design limit and must now be removed, pushing liftoff to no earlier than May 17. The NASA astronauts assigned to the Starliner capsule's test flight to the International Space Station Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain at Cape Canaveral. Starliner's first crew flight already is years behind schedule because of a multitude of capsule problems.

Sunita Williams strapped in seat when Starliner mission was called off

First crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner spaceship was to depart from the Kennedy Space Centre when launch was cancelled due to an issue with an oxygen relief valve

Boeing to launch astronauts in new capsule, expanding space travel

After years of delays and stumbles, Boeing is finally poised to launch astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA. It's the first flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station. NASA turned to US companies for astronaut rides after the space shuttles were retired. Elon Musk's SpaceX has made nine taxi trips for NASA since 2020, while Boeing has managed only a pair of unoccupied test flights. Boeing program manager Mark Nappi wishes Starliner was further along. There's no doubt about that, but we're here now. The company's long-awaited astronaut demo is slated for liftoff Monday night. Provided this tryout goes well, NASA will alternate between Boeing and SpaceX to get astronauts to and from the space station. A look at the newest ride and its shakedown cruise: THE CAPSULE White with black and blue trim, Boeing's Starliner capsule is abou

China's three astronauts return to earth after six months in space

China's Shenzhou-17 spacecraft returned to Earth Tuesday, carrying three astronauts who have completed a six-month mission aboard the country's orbiting space station. The three, Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, landed at the Dongfeng site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the Gobi desert shortly before 6:00 pm (1000 GMT). It comes roughly four days after the Shenzhou-18 mission docked with the station with their three-member replacement crew onboard. China built its own space station after being excluded from the International Space Station, largely because of US concerns over the Chinese military's total control of the space programme amid a sharpening competition in technology between the two geopolitical rivals. This year, the Chinese station is slated for two cargo spacecraft missions and two manned spaceflight missions. China's ambitious space programme aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030, as well as bring back samples from Mars around the

Sunita Williams set for third space voyage as part of crewed test mission

The astronauts are scheduled to launch aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on May 6

Russian Soyuz rocket with 3 astronauts blasts off to Intl Space Station

A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts to the International Space Station blasted off Saturday, two days after its launch was aborted at the last minute. The spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Russian Oleg Novitsky and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus launched smoothly from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan. The launch had been planned for Thursday but was halted by an automatic safety system about 20 seconds before the scheduled liftoff. The head of the Russian space agency, Yuri Borisov, said the launch abort was triggered by a voltage drop in a power source. The space capsule atop the rocket separated and went into orbit eight minutes after the launch and began a two-day, 34-orbit trip to the space station. If the launch had gone as scheduled on Thursday, the journey would have been much shorter, requiring only two orbits. Docking is now expected at 1510 GMT Monday. The three astronauts were to join the station's crew consisting of NA

Air leak at ISS poses no danger to its crew, say Russian space officials

Russian space officials on Wednesday acknowledged a continuing air leak from the Russian segment of the International Space Station, but said it poses no danger to its crew. The Roscosmos state corporation said that specialists were monitoring the leak and the crew regularly conducts work to locate and fix possible spots of the leak." There is no threat to the crew or the station itself, it said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. Roscosmos' statement followed comments by Joel Montalbano, NASA's station project manager, who noted Wednesday that the leak in the Russian segment has increased but emphasized that it remains small and poses no threat to the crew's safety or vehicle operations. As the space outpost is aging, the crew has to spend more time to repair and maintain it, Roscosmos said.. Russian space officials first reported a leak in the Zvezda module in August 2020 and later that year Russian crew members located what they believed was its source and tried to

India to land man on Moon by 2040, set up space station by 2035: PM Modi

Private sector players see huge business opportunity through joint ecosystem with ISRO

Space-tech startup Agnikul Cosmos raises Rs 200 crore, eyes expansion

Space-tech startup Agnikul Cosmos, incubated by IIT-Madras, on Tuesday said it has raised Rs 200 crore in the Series-B funding round and aims to use that for supporting its expansion plans as the firm looks at putting satellites in orbit. Agnikul has started the integration of the launch vehicle Agnibaan SubOrbital Technology Demonstrator at its private launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. "We are planning to have a test launch before the year-end," Agnikul co-founder and CEO Srinath Ravichandran told PTI. With the successful closure of a Series-B fund of Rs 200 crore (USD 26.7 million), the startup has increased its total capital raised till date to USD 40 million. The round saw participation from venture capital investors such as Celesta Capital, Rocketship.vc, Artha Venture Fund and Artha Select Fund, Mayfield India, along with existing investors such as pi Ventures, Speciale Invest and Mayfield India. "We have a fair idea of the technology that is involv

Russia reports coolant leak in backup line at space station, says crew safe

Coolant leaked from a backup line at the International Space Station, Russian officials said Monday, adding that there was no risk to the crew or the outpost. Russian space agency Roscosmos said that coolant leaked from an external backup radiator for Russia's new science lab. The lab's main thermal control system was working normally, the agency emphasized. The crew and the station aren't in any danger, Roscosmos said. NASA confirmed that there is no threat to the station's crew of seven and that operations are continuing as usual. Roscosmos said engineers were investigating the cause of the leak. The incident follows recent coolant leaks from Russian spacecraft parked at the station. Those leaks were blamed on tiny meteoroids. The lab named Nauku, which means science arrived at the space station in July 2021. Last December, coolant leaked from a Soyuz crew capsule docked to the station, and another similar leak from a Progress supply ship was discovered in February. A Russian

India, US begin talks to send Indian astronaut to the ISS next year

India and the US on Friday said they have started talks to put in place a strategic framework for human space flight by year-end as they plan to send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station in 2024. US President Joe Biden also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the historic landing of Chandrayaan-3 at the south polar region of the Moon and the success of Aditya-L1 solar mission. "Determined to deepen our partnership in outer space exploration, ISRO and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have commenced discussions on modalities, capacity building, and training for mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024, and are continuing efforts to finalise a strategic framework for human space flight cooperation by the end of 2023," said a joint statement issued after the 52-minute talks between the two leaders. During Modi's visit to the US in June, Biden had announced India and the US were collaborating to send an astrona

Everybody on Earth is counting on…: Ex-commander of ISS on Aditya-L1 launch

In an exclusive interview with ANI, the former astronaut Hadfield spoke about how the findings of the Aditya L-1 mission will impact human space flight