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Crew Dragon astronauts pack up for return to Earth
Crew Dragon astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken thanked their space station crewmates for a productive two-month visit, readied their SpaceX capsule for departure and stood by for a final "go" from flight controllers to undock Saturday night, setting up a Gulf of Mexico splashdown Sunday afternoon.
Crew Dragon astronauts ready for re-entry, splashdown
With Hurricane Isaias threatening Florida's East Coast, astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are awaiting a go-ahead on plans to undock from the International Space Station Saturday, setting up a fiery plunge to splashdown Sunday, presumably in the Gulf of Mexico, to close out a 64-day flight.
Safety panel concerned about quality control on Boeing crew capsule
Members of NASA's independent panel of aerospace safety advisors raised concerns last week about quality control problems that "seemingly have plagued" Boeing's Starliner crew capsule program, while urging NASA to closely monitor SpaceX's plans to reuse Crew Dragon spaceships on astronaut flights to the International Space Station.
NASA confirms plans for Crew Dragon splashdown Aug. 2, weather permitting
Assuming good weather and a smooth final few weeks on the International Space Station, astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are scheduled to undock from the orbiting research outpost Aug. 1 and return to Earth the next day to wrap up a 64-day test flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship.
NASA outlines recommendations to clear path for Boeing to resume Starliner flights
NASA has completed an exhaustive review of software problems and procedural oversights that prevented an unpiloted Boeing Starliner capsule from docking with the space station last year. The agency is implementing 80 recommendations to clear the way for a second test flight later this year and, if all goes well, Boeing's first piloted flight next spring, officials said Tuesday.
Coronavirus work stoppage likely to delay launch of NASA X-ray astronomy mission
A nearly three-month stoppage of on-site work due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus at NASA's Marshall Space Fight Center in Alabama is expected to push back the launch of the IXPE X-ray astronomy satellite from May 2021 until some time later next year, a senior space agency official said.
Spacewalkers complete another round of battery replacement work
Picking up where they left off last week, two space station astronauts ventured back outside the outpost Wednesday to continue the replacement of aging batteries in the lab's solar power system. Two more spacewalks later this month should complete the multi-year project.
Cassidy, Behnken begin final series of space station battery upgrades
Two astronauts floated outside the International Space Station early Friday for the first of four planned spacewalks to wrap up a complex multi-year job to replace 48 aging batteries in the lab's solar power system with 24 more powerful lithium-ion units.
Astronauts gear up for Friday spacewalk amid planning for August Crew Dragon return
Space station commander Chris Cassidy and Robert Behnken plan to float outside Friday for the first of up to four spacewalks needed to complete the replacement of aging batteries in the lab’s solar power system. NASA managers hope to get the work done in time for Behnken and crewmate Douglas Hurley to return to Earth aboard their Crew Dragon capsule by around Aug. 2, officials said Wednesday.
NASA agrees to fly astronauts on reused Crew Dragon spacecraft
NASA has agreed to allow its astronauts to fly on reused Crew Dragon spaceships and Falcon 9 boosters beginning as soon as SpaceX's third launch of a crew to the International Space Station, a mission expected to launch next year.