Space Station Live: October 7, 2015

NASA has ordered four additional launches to deliver cargo to the International Space Station in 2017 — three from SpaceX and one from Orbital ATK — to cover the research lab’s logistics needs until a new set of resupply contracts take effect.

A $26 million science instrument carried to the International Space Station by SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule has been switched on and is measuring winds over the world’s oceans to help forecasters track the intensity of tropical cyclones, NASA officials said.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are gearing up for launch March 27 to kick off a record one-year stay aboard the International Space Station, an orbital marathon both men say is crucial for planning future flights beyond Earth orbit and, eventually, to Mars.