Live coverage: Soyuz crew returns to Earth

China’s Tiangong 1 space lab, replaced by an upgraded human-rated research station launched last week, is heading for an uncontrolled re-entry back into Earth’s atmosphere in late 2017.

In a complex bit of orbital surgery, two spacewalking astronauts cut into a $2 billion cosmic ray detector Friday, venting away life-sustaining carbon dioxide refrigerant and then snipping eight coolant lines the size of soda straws to prepare the high-tech “patient” for a coolant pump transplant.

The rescheduled test came a day after a launch day rehearsal with the Crew-11 astronauts and cosmonaut in the loop, referred to as a dry dress rehearsal. The Crew-11 launch is currently scheduled for Thursday, July 31 at 12:09 p.m. EDT (1609 UTC).