Space Stations Archives - SpaceNews

Rubio departed the International Space Station, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, at 3:54 a.m. EDT, and made a safe, parachute-assisted landing at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time), southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. “Frank’s record-breaking time in space is not just a milestone; it’s a major contribution to our understanding of long-duration space missions,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Our astronauts make extraordinary sacrifices away from their homes and loved ones to further discovery. NASA is immensely grateful for Frank’s dedicated service to our nation and the invaluable scientific contributions he made on the International Space Station. He embodies the true pioneer spirit that will pave the way for future exploration to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.” Rubio launched on his first spaceflight on Sept. 21, 2022, alongside Prokopyev and Petelin. Rubio’s spaceflight is the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut, breaking the record previously held at 355 days by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei. During his mission, Rubio completed approximately 5,936 orbits and a journey of more than 157 million miles, roughly the equivalent of 328 trips to the Moon and back. He witnessed the arrival of 15 visiting spacecraft and the departure of 14 visiting spacecraft representing crewed and uncrewed cargo missions. Rubio’s extended mission provides researchers the opportunity to observe the effects of long-duration spaceflight on humans as the agency plans to return to the Moon through the Artemis missions and prepare for exploration of Mars. Rubio, Prokopyev, and Petelin launched aboard the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft but, due to a coolant leak, returned to Earth aboard the Soyuz MS-23. The affected Soyuz MS-22 capsule returned without its crew after the Soyuz MS-23 capsule launched as a replacement on Feb. 23, 2023. Following post-landing medical checks, the crew will return to Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Rubio will then board a NASA plane bound for his return to Houston. During his record-breaking mission, Rubio spent many hours on scientific activities aboard the space station, conducting a variety of tasks ranging from plant research to physical sciences studies. With the undocking of the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, Expedition 70 officially began aboard the station. NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli remain aboard the orbital outpost alongside ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who became station commander Sept. 26, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov, Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub. Mogensen, Moghbeli, Furukawa, and Borisov will return to Earth in February 2024, after a short handover with the crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. O’Hara is scheduled to return to Earth in March 2024, while Kononenko and Chub will spend a year aboard the station, returning in September 2024.

Press Release, Space Stations

Soyuz MS-22 Returns A Space Station Crew To Earth

After spending an American record-breaking 371 days in space, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio safely landed on Earth with his crewmates Wednesday.

by SpaceRef September 27, 2023

Press Release, Space Stations

Saving Lives on Earth and Beyond: Space Station Flame Research Sheds Light on Fire Safety

by SpaceRef September 8, 2023

First Human Knee Meniscus printed on ISS

Press Release, Space Stations

Redwire BioFabrication Facility Successfully Prints First Human Knee Meniscus on ISS

by SpaceRef September 7, 2023

Support teams raise the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft aboard the recovery ship MEGAN shortly after it landed off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, Monday, Sept. 4, 2023.Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky) larger image

Press Release, Space Stations

Crew-6 Returns to Earth

by SpaceRef September 5, 2023

SpiderOak successfully sends and receives secure ops traffic using Axiom Space-provided AWS Snowcone aboard the International Space Station.

Press Release, Space Stations

SpiderOak Announces Successful Demonstration of OrbitSecure on International Space Station

by SpaceRef August 30, 2023

Press Release, Space Stations

Investigation Onboard the Space Station Seeks New Insights Into Cooling Technology for Electronics

by SpaceRef August 30, 2023

NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg works on an experiment from Stanford University that aims to synthesize graphene aerogel in space. Larger image

Press Release, Space Stations

Stanford and UC Berkeley Collaborate on Investigation to Produce Superior Graphene Aerogel in Space

by SpaceRef August 27, 2023

Crew 7 launch

Press Release, Space Stations

SpaceX Crew-7 Launches To The International Space Station

by SpaceRef August 26, 2023

Press Release, Space Stations

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Astronauts to Embark on Six-Month Science Expedition, Supporting an Array of R&D on the Space Station

by SpaceRef August 21, 2023

"Lijian-1" and "Innovation X" Satellite CREDIT Image by Innovation Academy of Microsatellite (IAMC) of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Press Release, Space Stations

China To Launch “Innovation X Scientific Flight” Program, Payload Open For Application Worldwide

by SpaceRef August 6, 2023