Watch Resupply Ship Docking to Station Live Now

Progress 64 Rocket
The Progress 64 rocket rolled out to the launch pad in Kazakhstan before it lifted off Saturday, July 16, to the International Space Station. Credit: RSC Energia

Beginning at 7:45 p.m. EDT, NASA Television will provide live coverage of the docking of a Russian Progress spacecraft carrying more than three tons of food, fuel and supplies for the Expedition 48 crew aboard the International Space Station.

The ISS Progress 64 is scheduled to arrive at the Pirs docking compartment of the space station at 8:22 p.m. The Expedition 48 crew will monitor key events during Progress 64’s automated rendezvous and docking.

Watch the docking live on NASA TV or at https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

The spacecraft will remain docked to the station for more than six months. Launch of ISS Progress 64 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan occurred at 5:41 p.m. Saturday (3:41 a.m. Baikonur time July 17).

To join the online conversation about the International Space Station and Progress 64 on Twitter, follow @Space_Station and the hashtag #ISScargo. To learn more about all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/connect.

Pair of Space Deliveries Racing Towards Station

One cargo spacecraft begins its resupply mission to the International Space Station as another one prepares to dock tonight to the orbital laboratory.

Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, launched its 64th Progress spacecraft to resupply the station Saturday afternoon from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Progress is closing in on the space station today with more than three tons of food, fuel and supplies, and will dock to the Pirs docking compartment at 8:22 p.m. EDT tonight. NASA TV will cover the rendezvous and docking live beginning at 7:45 p.m.

SpaceX launched its Dragon space freighter early Monday from Florida atop a Falcon 9 rocket for a two-day delivery mission. Dragon is carrying nearly 5,000 pounds of science, supplies and hardware including the first of two international docking adapters. A pair of space experiments, among others, aboard Dragon include a DNA sequencing study and an investigation of the human heart and how it adapts to living in space.

Dragon will approach the station early Wednesday, when it will be captured by the Canadarm2 and installed to the Harmony module. Astronauts Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins will be inside the cupola operating the robotic controls for capture of the spacecraft. Mission controllers on the ground will then take over and guide Dragon to its port on the Earth-facing side of Harmony.

Launch of SpaceX CRS-9
Dragon launches from Florida on the SpaceX CRS-9 mission to resupply the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray

Resupply Rocket Launches on Two-Day Delivery Mission

The Progress 64 Rocket Launches
The Progress 64 cargo craft launches on a two-day trip to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV

Carrying more than three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the International Space Station crew, the unpiloted ISS Progress 64 cargo craft launched at 5:41 p.m. EDT (3:41 a.m. Baikonur time July 17) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

At the time of launch, the International Space Station was flying about 250 miles over Eastern Chad.

Less than 10 minutes after launch, the resupply ship reached preliminary orbit and deployed its solar arrays and navigational antennas as planned. The Russian cargo craft will chase the station during the next two days before docking to the Pirs Docking Compartment at the orbiting laboratory at 8:22 p.m. Monday, July 18. The Progress 64 will spend more than six months docked at the outpost before departing in mid-January for its deorbit into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Beginning at 7:45 p.m. Monday, NASA Television will provide live coverage of Progress 64’s arrival at the space station’s Pirs Docking Compartment.

Watch live on NASA TV and online at:

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

To join the online conversation about the International Space Station and Progress 63 on Twitter, follow @Space_Station and the hashtag #ISScargo.

Watch NASA TV to see Russian Rocket Blast Off to Station

The Prgress Spacecraft
The Progress spacecraft is seen at the launch vehicle processing facility in Kazakhstan before being rolled out to the launch pad. Credit: RSC Energia

At 5:30 p.m. EDT, Saturday, July 16, NASA Television will provide live coverage of the launch of an unpiloted Russian Progress spacecraft carrying more than three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 48 crew aboard the International Space Station.

Launch of ISS Progress 64 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is planned for 5:41 p.m. (3:41 a.m. Baikonur time July 17). Watch live on NASA TV: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Following a 34-orbit, two-day trip, Progress 64 is scheduled to link up to the Pirs docking compartment of the International Space Station at 8:22 p.m. Monday, July 18. It will remain docked to the station for more than six months.

The Expedition 48 crew will monitor key events during Progress 64’s automated rendezvous and docking. Three of the six crew members recently arrived on station and are preparing for back-to-back cargo deliveries. First-time flyer NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos, and astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) joined Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams of NASA and Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos aboard their orbital home July 9.

On the heels of this cargo launch, SpaceX’s ninth commercial resupply services mission for NASA is scheduled to deliver nearly 5,000 pounds of supplies and payloads to the station. The SpaceX Dragon capsule is targeted to launch at 12:45 a.m. Monday, July 18, on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Dragon will carry critical materials to directly support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 48 and 49.

To join the online conversation about the International Space Station and Progress 64 on Twitter, follow @Space_Station and the hashtag #ISScargo. To learn more about all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/connect.

Crew Training for the Arrival of Two New Spaceships

Astronauts Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins
Astronauts Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins talk to journalists from La Crosse, Wis., and Reuters Science. Credit: NASA TV

A Russian Progress 64 (64P) cargo craft is getting ready for a Saturday launch to the International Space Station. A private U.S. space freighter, the SpaceX Dragon, is also getting prepared for a launch early Monday morning.

Both spacecraft will take two-day trips to the orbital laboratory. Cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Anatoly Ivanishin are practicing manual docking techniques in the unlikely event the 64P is unable to dock automatically Monday night. Commander Jeff Williams is also training for the robotic capture of Dragon when it arrives Wednesday morning.

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins set up hardware in the Microgravity Science Glovebox to prepare for the Heart Cells experiment flying on Dragon next week. The study will explore how living in space affects heart muscle tissue changing its shape and gene expression.

Pair of Cargo Ships Getting Ready for Launch to Station

Expedition 48-49 Crew Members Kate Rubins and Anatoly Ivanishin
Expedition 48-49 crew members Kate Rubins (left) and Anatoly Ivanishin are pictured during their first day aboard the orbital laboratory.

The Expedition 48 crew is getting ready for next week’s arrival of a pair resupply ships. The station residents are also continuing space research benefitting life on Earth and future crews.

The first cargo craft due next week is the Progress 64 (64P) resupply ship and will launch Saturday at 5:41 p.m. EDT. The 64P will take a two-day trip, or 34 Earth orbits, and dock Monday at 8:22 p.m. to the Pirs docking compartment.

SpaceX will launch its ninth commercial cargo mission Monday at 12:44 a.m. delivering the first of two international docking adapters. The Dragon cargo craft will also be carrying new science gear to enable DNA sequencing and a bone loss study. Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineers Kate Rubins and Takuya Onishi are setting up communications gear and training for the robotic capture of Dragon when it arrives early Wednesday.

Back inside the orbital lab, the six station residents continued ongoing human research to understand how living in space affects the human body. A Russian experiment looked at how weightlessness affects blood flow in the carotid artery. A U.S. study is exploring the efficacy of medicine, symptom relief and side effects during long-term space missions.

Expanded Crew Trains for SpaceX Dragon Capture

The Soyuz MS-01 Spacecraft
The Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft is pictured docked to the Rassvet module after its arrival Saturday morning.

The newly-expanded Expedition 48 crew is preparing for next week’s arrival of the ninth SpaceX mission. In the meantime, the International Space Station’s newest trio is getting used to their new home in space and conducting science and maintenance with their crewmates.

New astronauts Kate Rubins and Takuya Onishi joined Commander Jeff Williams and trained for the robotic capture of the SpaceX Dragon. The Dragon cargo craft is scheduled to launch early July 18 from Florida and arrive at the station two days later. Dragon will deliver an international docking adapter and new science experiments to sequence DNA and understand bone loss.

Meanwhile, Rubins and Onishi along with veteran cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin are familiarizing themselves with the orbital laboratory and its systems. The trio arrived Saturday morning after a two-day trip inside the upgraded Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft. Rubins and Onishi are on their first space mission. Ivanishin is on his second mission and was last aboard the station from November 2011 through April 2012 as an Expedition 29-30 Flight Engineer.

Hatches Open and Station Crew Grows to Six

The six-member Expedition 48 crew join each other for well wishes and congratulations from family, friends and mission officials. In front, from left are the new crew members Kate Rubins, Anatoly Ivanishin and Takuya Onishi. In the back row are Flight ENgineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin and Commander Jeff Williams. Credit: NASA TV
The new six-member Expedition 48 crew join each other for well wishes and congratulations from family, friends and mission officials. In front, from left, are the new crew members Kate Rubins, Anatoly Ivanishin and Takuya Onishi. In the back row are Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin and Commander Jeff Williams. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos, and astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) joined their Expedition 48 crew members aboard the International Space Station officially at 2:26 a.m. EDT July 9 when the hatches opened between their Soyuz MS-01 and the space station.

Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams of NASA and Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos welcomed the trio aboard their orbital home.

In the coming months, the crewmates are scheduled to receive multiple cargo resupply flights delivering several tons of food, fuel, supplies and research.

SpaceX’s ninth commercial resupply services mission under contract with NASA is scheduled to launch to the space station no earlier than July 18 at 12:45 a.m. Research aboard the Dragon cargo spacecraft will include experiments to test the capabilities for sequencing DNA, understand bone loss, track heart changes in microgravity and regulate temperature aboard spacecraft. The first of two international docking adapters is also headed to station in Dragon’s unpressurized trunk, which will allow commercial spacecraft to dock to the station when transporting astronauts in the near future as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Williams and Rubins are scheduled to install the adapter during a spacewalk later this summer.

Rubins, Ivanishin and Onishi are scheduled to remain aboard the station until late October. Williams, Skripochka and Ovchinin will return to Earth in September.

To learn more about the International Space Station, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/station. For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://blogs-stage-old.nasawestprime.com/spacestation/. Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram at: http://instagram.com/iss and on Twitter @Space_Station.

Expedition 48-49 Crew Docks to New Home in Space

Soyuz MS-01 Spacecraft Approaches Station
The Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft is viewed from the International Space Station as it approaches the Rassvet module docking port. Credit: NASA TV

The Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station at 12:06 a.m. EDT Saturday, July 9, 254 statute miles over the South Pacific.

Aboard the space station, Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams of NASA and Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos will welcome NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos, and astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) when the hatches of the two spacecraft are opened at 2:50 a.m.

Watch the hatch opening and welcome ceremony on NASA Television beginning at 2:30 a.m. online at https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.

To learn more about the International Space Station, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/station. For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/. Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram at: http://instagram.com/iss and on Twitter @Space_Station.

Watch NASA TV Tonight For Crew Arrival at Station

Expedition 48-49 Crew Members
(From left) Expedition 48-49 crew members Kate Rubins, Anatoly Ivanishin and Takuya Onishi pose for individual crew portraits.

Following 34 orbits around the Earth aboard their upgraded Soyuz spacecraft, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos, and astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are scheduled to dock to the International Space Station at 12:12 a.m. EDT Saturday, July 9.

NASA Television coverage of docking to the Rassvet module will begin at 11:30 p.m. tonight. Watch live at https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.

The three crew members launched aboard a Soyuz MS-01 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:36 p.m. EDT Wednesday (7:36 a.m. Baikonur time, July 7).

To learn more about the International Space Station, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/station. For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://blogs-stage-old.nasawestprime.com/spacestation/. Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram at: http://instagram.com/iss and on Twitter @Space_Station.