Friday, Dec. 610:50 a.m. | Undocking coverage of NASA’s SpaceX CRS-31 spacecraft from the International Space Station. Undocking scheduled for 11:05 a.m.
International Space Station trajectory data is now available to the public! This data, called an ephemeris, is generated by the ISS Trajectory Operations and Planning Officer (TOPO) flight controllers in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. NASA is providing this information for use by the general public.
Thursday, Dec. 1210:50 a.m. | Undocking coverage of NASA’s SpaceX CRS-31 spacecraft from the International Space Station. Undocking scheduled for 11:05 a.m.
2024.12.065 CubeSats will be deployed from “Kibo” Japanese Experiment Module on Monday, December 9, 2024. Experiment at KiboOn December 9, 2024, the following 5 CubeSats will be deployed from the “Kibo” Japanese Experiment Module. YODAKA *1 DENDEN-01 *2 LignoSat *2 YOMOGI *1 ONGLAISAT *1*1 In May 2018, as a new step to enhance the commercial utilization of Kibo, JAXA selected Space BD Inc. and Mitsui Bussan Aerospace Co., Ltd. as the J-SSOD service provider.Selection of Service Provider for Small Satellite Deployment from Kibo*2 These CubeSats will be deployed under the framework of the J-CUBE program, a CubeSat deployment opportunity established through an agreement between JAXA and the University Space Engineering Consortium (UNISEC).The deployment event for those satellites by J-SSOD#30 will be broadcast via YouTube JAXA Channel.December 9, 2024 （Monday）* The date and time of the deployment are subject to change due to the ISS schedule modification. 1st Deployment 16:45 – 17:15 (JST) (Satellite : YODAKA) YOUTUBE 2nd Deployment 19:50 – 20:30 (JST) (Satellite : DENDEN-01, LignoSat, YOMOGI) YOUTUBE 3rd Deployment 23:00 – 23:30 (JST) (Satellite : ONGLAISAT) YOUTUBE【Satellite】 YODAKA [Size：W6U]【Organizations】 ArkEdge Space Inc.SPACE VALUEIwate Prefectural Hanamaki Kita High School【Service Provider】 Space BD Inc.【Mission】 Store-and-forward mission: YODAKA collects text messages from users on Earth and downlinks them back to a ground station for “store-and-forward” purposes. The data and the related satellite operations are used for educational purposes for high school students at Hanamaki Kita High School. Camera mission: YODAKA takes Earth images using an optical camera. The image data and the related satellite operation are used for rural revitalization in the Hanamaki City Iwate prefecture.Image by ArkEdge Space Inc.【Satellite】 DENDEN-01 [Size：1U]【Organizations】 Kansai UniversityUniversity of FukuiMeijo UniversityArkEdge Space【Mission】 On-orbit Demonstration of Temperature-Stabilizing Device Utilizing Phase Change Material Commercial Lithium-ion Battery Suitable for Nanosatellites and Space Applications High-precise Power State Estimation Program / Autonomous and High-Efficient Operation System Performance Validation of Thin and Ultralight IMM3J-based Space Solar Module Optimized for CubeSats On-orbit Demonstration of Perovskite-based Solar Module for Space Applications Demonstration and Communication of Ultra-Compact S-band Communication Device Advanced Demonstration of Store-and-Forward (S&F) Communication via 920MHz Low-Power Transceiver Imaging and On-board Data Analysis Processing Using Compact Hyperspectral Camera Development of Educational Programs based on Educational Satellite Kit “EDIT” Image by DENDEN-01 project team【Satellite】 LignoSat [Size：1U]【Organizations】 Kyoto UniversitySUMITOMO FORESTRY CO.,LTD.【Mission】 LignoSat mission objectives are as follows： Measurement of strain of wooden panels Measurement of internal temperature of LignoSat Measurement of geomagnetism Measurement of occurrence of Single Event Upset (SEU) Two-way communication with amateur radio operatorsImage by Kyoto University【Satellite】 YOMOGI [Size：1U]【Organizations】 Chiba Institute of Technology【Service Provider】 Space BD Inc.【Mission】 Education to be an advanced engineer in space industry Monitoring the red tide in Tokyo Bay. Investigating the pollution of water sources in Uganda. sends and receives sensor data from ground stations by APRS system. Image by Chiba Institute of Technology【Satellite】 ONGLAISAT [Size：W6U]【Organizations】 Taiwan Space AgencyArkEdge Space Inc.The University of Tokyo【Service Provider】 Space BD Inc.【Mission】 ONGLAISAT is a 6-Unit (6U) size CubeSat co-developed by TASA (Taiwan Space Agency), the Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory (ISSL) at the University of Tokyo, ArkEdge Space Inc., and Space BD Inc. ONGLAISAT combines a telescope, developed by TASA, with a 6U satellite bus system that aims to produce a high signal-to-noise ratio image capture capability using Time Delay Integration (TDI) technology as its mission. Image by ONGLAISAT project team
Saturday, Dec. 1410:50 a.m. | Undocking coverage of NASA’s SpaceX CRS-31 spacecraft from the International Space Station. Undocking scheduled for 11:05 a.m. Stream on NASA+
SSRMS has grappled one of the fixtures on the Bishop Airlock in preparation for deploying the Euro Material Ageing experiment.
Sunday, Dec. 1510:50 a.m. | Undocking coverage of NASA’s SpaceX CRS-31 spacecraft from the International Space Station. Undocking scheduled for 11:05 a.m. Stream on NASA+
NASA astronaut and station Commander Suni Williams spent most of her day inside the Tranquility module working on the Nanoracks Bishop airlock. She was joined at the beginning of her shift by NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore who helped her prepare the Euro Materials Aging (EMA) experiment for installation inside Bishop. Afterward, she inspected one portion of the EMA study that will observe organic molecules and how they adapt to the external space environment.NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit looked at another segment of the EMA hardware that will expose a variety of materials to outer space to monitor how they age over time. Finally, NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague inspected the Bishop airlock with the EMA experiment inside, closed its hatch, and prepared the airlock for its upcoming depressurization.On Monday, the Canadarm2 robotic arm will detach Bishop with the EMA inside from Tranquility and maneuver it toward the Columbus laboratory module. Next, the EMA will be robotically installed on the Bartolomeo research platform attached to the outside of Columbus. The external investigation will operate outside Columbus for about a year.
NASA, SpaceX Adjust Dragon Undock Date Due to WeatherMark Garcia Posted on December 14, 2024Mission managers waved off the planned return of a Dragon resupply spacecraft on Sunday, Dec. 15, due to forecasted unfavorable weather conditions at the splashdown sites off the coast of Florida. NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than Monday, Dec. 16, for the next undocking opportunity of NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services spacecraft.https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2024/12/14/nasa-spacex-adjust-dragon-undock-date-due-to-weather/International Space Station Configuration. Six spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon Freedom, the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, the Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply ship, the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship, and the Progress 89 and 90 resupply ships.
At 11:05 a.m. EST, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the forward port of the Harmony module at the International Space Station following a command from ground controllers at SpaceX.After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida on Tuesday, Dec. 17. NASA will not stream the splashdown but will post updates on the agency’s space station blog.
Upcoming rocket launch tours:Progress MS-30 - Launch date: February 28, 2025Soyuz MS-27 - Launch date: April 8, 2025Progress MS-31 - Launch date: July 3, 2025Progress MS-32 - Launch date: September 11, 2025Soyuz MS-28 - Launch date: November 27, 2025Progress MS-33 - Launch date: December 19, 2025
Jonathan McDowell @planet4589CRS-31 splashed down "off Florida" at 1839 UTC. Dragon lowered its orbit prior to deorbit and there aren't any TLEs from @S4S_SDA for that phase (at least yet), so I can't tell which of the recovery areas was used. [Thanks everyone who told me: Panama City recovery area!]
At 1:39 p.m. EST, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Florida, marking the return of the company’s 31st commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA.
Wilmore partnered with Hague near the end of their shift and reconfigured the Nanoracks Bishop airlock. Bishop will be repressurized after being reattached to the Tranquility module following a weekend of transfer activities with the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Bishop had earlier contained the Euro Materials Ageing experiment hardware that was robotically maneuvered to the Bartolomeo research platform attached to the outside of Columbus.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 now is targeting no earlier than late March 2025 to launch four crew members to the International Space Station.The change gives NASA and SpaceX teams time to complete processing on a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission. The new spacecraft is set to arrive to the company’s processing facility in Florida in early January.
Today at 18:35:53 Moscow time, members of the 72nd long-term expedition to the International Space Station, cosmonauts of the Roscosmos State Corporation Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Wagner, opened the exit hatch of the small research module Poisk.The main tasks of the spacewalk with an estimated duration of 6 hours 43 minutes are the installation and removal of scientific equipment on the outer surface of the modules of the Russian segment.During the spacewalk on the service module Zvezda, the cosmonauts will install and connect the SPIN-X1-MVN X-ray spectrometer as part of the All-Sky Monitor experiment, and also replace four fixing boards.From the Poisk module, they will dismantle two exposure devices for the Test experiment (study of the possibility of developing microdestruction of structural elements of the Russian ISS modules under the influence of components of their own external atmosphere), two panels of the Endurance experiment (study of the influence of space factors on the characteristics of the mechanical properties of space materials) and the Indicator-ISS scientific equipment as part of the Control experiment (determining the parameters of the ISS's own external atmosphere).In addition, on the Nauka multi-purpose laboratory module, the cosmonauts will transfer the EMMI external control panel of the European ERA remote manipulator from one place to another.At the end of the spacewalk, Alexey Ovchinin, having settled on the ERA manipulator, controlled by Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, will push the kit with the dismantled equipment into space.
12/20/2024 01:54Cosmonauts on the ISS installed an X-ray spectrometer on the Zvezda moduleToday at 01:53:40 Moscow time, members of the 72nd long-term expedition to the International Space Station, cosmonauts of the Roscosmos State Corporation Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, closed the exit hatch of the Poisk small research module.During the spacewalk lasting 7 hours 17 minutes 47 seconds, the cosmonauts mounted and connected the SPIN-X1-MVN X-ray spectrometer on the Zvezda service module, created at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences as part of the All-Sky Monitor experiment and delivered to the station by the Progress MS-28 cargo ship in August 2024. Using the spectrometer, scientists will conduct a periodic, almost complete survey of the celestial sphere (84%) in the X-ray wavelength range every 72 days for three years (a total of 15 such surveys are planned).There, they also replaced four fixing boards that ensure reliable retention of the mated cable connectors.On the Poisk module, Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner dismantled two exposure devices for the Test experiment (study of the possibility of developing microdestruction of structural elements of the Russian ISS modules under the influence of components of its own external atmosphere) and two panels as part of the Endurance experiment (study of the influence of space factors on the characteristics of the mechanical properties of space-grade materials), which were outside the ISS for 3.5 years.They also removed the Indicator-MKS scientific equipment from the Control experiment (determination of the parameters of the ISS's own external atmosphere), installed on the Poisk module in June 2013.At the end of the spacewalk, Alexey Ovchinin settled into a portable workstation on the European ERA remote manipulator, controlled by Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, and pushed into space the kit with the dismantled old fixing boards, protective covers from the X-ray spectrometer, and the Indicator-ISS scientific equipment. Over time, it will leave orbit and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.This was the 73rd Russian (63rd planned) spacewalk within the ISS project and the second in 2024. For Alexey Ovchinin, it was the second spacewalk in his career, and for Ivan Vagner, the first.Since March 1965, 75 cosmonauts from the USSR and Russia have conducted 174 spacewalks, including 169 in domestic spacesuits.
20 Dec, 04:54Russian cosmonauts complete spacewalk, installing X-ray spectrometer on Zvezda moduleThe instrument will be able to monitor 84% of the celestial sphere and help scientists determine the number of supermassive black holes in the UniverseMOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner (TASS correspondent aboard the ISS) closed the exit hatch of the Poisk module of the International Space Station, completing their spacewalk.The extravehicular activity began at 6:36 p.m. Moscow time on Thursday. The cosmonauts were expected to spend six hours and 43 minutes in space, but their mission lasted 7 hours 17 minutes instead.Their primary goal was to install and connect the SPIN-X1-MVN X-ray spectrometer on the Zvezda Service Module. The instrument will be able to monitor 84% of the celestial sphere and help scientists determine the number of supermassive black holes in the Universe.Besides, Ovechkin and Vagner also dismantled research equipment from the Poisk module. Ovchinin then positioned himself in the ERA's portable manipulator arm workstation and flung the dismantled items away from the ISS. The garbage will soon burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.This EVA was the first in Vagner career. He was wearing Orlan-ISS spacesuit No. 4 with blue stripes. Alexey Ovchinin, who was wearing Orlan-ISS spacesuit No. 5 with red stripes, was in outer space for a second time (for the first time during the current 72nd long expedition to the orbital outpost).About the spectrometerThe spectrometer for the experiment All Sky Monitor was delivered to the station on the cargo spacecraft Progress MS-28 in August. In September, the Deputy Director of the Space Research Institute (SRI) under the Russian Academy of Sciences, associate member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Lutovinov told TASS that the device would go operational immediately after installation and perform 15 sky surveys in three years.Lutovinov noted that the instrument would help scientists determine the number of supermassive black holes in the Universe and their contribution to its history by measuring the cosmic X-ray background - radiation made up of a huge number of distant objects that are almost impossible to view individually.
