Human spaceflight
Spaceflight with a crew or passengers
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We include updates on Walter Mondale, Artemis II, Christa McAuliffe, Artemis III, Vostok 1, Shenzhou 19, Gene Kranz, Mercury-Atlas 6, Space suit, Gemini 8, Extravehicular activity, Polaris Dawn, Gaganyaan, Ralph Abernathy, Apollo 7, Freeze-dried ice cream ... and more.
| April 8 2025 |
Human spaceflights to the International Space Station
Soyuz MS-27 mission launched, delivering 3 astronauts to the International Space Station for an eight-month flight.
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| March 16 2025 |
Gemini 8
Gemini 8 successfully docked with an Agena target vehicle at 23:14 UTC, marking a significant milestone in spacecraft rendezvous and docking capabilities.
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| 2025 |
Human spaceflights to the International Space Station
Boeing Starliner-1 mission planned as the first operational mission of the CST-100 Starliner capsule, intended to deliver 4 members of a future expedition crew to the International Space Station.
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| 2025 |
Human spaceflights to the International Space Station
Ax-4 private mission planned for a short visit to the International Space Station, expected in Q2 2025.
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| March 12 2025 |
Human spaceflights to the International Space Station
SpaceX Crew-10 mission launched to deliver 4 astronauts to the International Space Station for a six-month flight, marking the fifteenth operational flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
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| 2025 |
Exploration Systems Architecture Study
The ESAS estimated the total cost of the crewed lunar program through 2025 at $217 billion, which was initially proposed to be funded within NASA's existing budget without significant program cuts.
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| February 2025 |
DARPA lunar programs
DARPA shifted the final phase of NOM4D from laboratory experiments to small-scale orbital demonstrations, focusing on developing advanced in-space manufacturing capabilities.
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| January 30 2025 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Expedition 72 EVA 3 conducted by Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. They retrieved the SASA Antenna, facing a delay when jacking bolts broke, and collected hull samples to examine potential microbial growth. Some planned tasks for prepping the LEE-A Wrist Joint Replacement Module and staging IROSA Cable Bag were deferred to EVA 4. Wilmore also stowed tethers and crowbars in an external locker for future use.
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| January 16 2025 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Expedition 72 EVA 2 performed by Nick Hague and Suni Williams. They replaced the Rate Gyro Assembly Gyroscope 2 on the S0 Truss, replaced retro reflectors on IDA 3, installed shields on NICER, relocated C2V2 cables, tested tools on AMS jumpers, and photographed AMS jumpers. They also inspected an ammonia vent line on Unity and a foot restraint near the Z1 Radio Antenna. This spacewalk was originally planned during Expedition 70 but was delayed due to a radiator leak on Nauka.
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| 2024 |
Lunar habitation
The concept design phase for lunar fission power systems was concluded, preparing for future lunar exploration technologies.
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| 2024 |
Ad Astra
Ad Astra magazine received a Gold Award from the Hermes Awards.
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| 2024 |
Effect of spaceflight on the human body
Scientific assessment highlighted ongoing concerns about molecular-level impacts of spaceflight, including bone loss, cancer risk, vision impairment, weakened immune systems, and mental health issues, particularly regarding unresearched private and commercial spaceflight populations.
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| 2024 |
Exploration Systems Architecture Study
Planned first lunar landing mission (Artemis 3) using the Orion spacecraft, updated from the original ESAS mission timeline.
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| 2024 | Planned launch of India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, delayed from the original 2022 target due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| 2024 | Planned mission to the Moon with a woman aboard, marking a significant milestone for female representation in space exploration. |
| December 19 2024 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Russian cosmonauts Aleksey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner performed Expedition 72 EVA 1, installing an x-ray telescope on Zvezda Service Module, jettisoning an ion radiation probe, retrieving various experiments, and rewiring Zvezda by replacing two patch panels with degraded insulation and electronics.
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| September 28 2024 |
Human spaceflights to the International Space Station
SpaceX Crew-9 mission launched, delivering 2 astronauts to the ISS for a six-month flight. This is the fourteenth operational flight of Crew Dragon and planned to include the 2 astronauts from the aborted Boeing Crew Flight Test.
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| September 11 2024 |
Human spaceflights to the International Space Station
Soyuz MS-26 mission launched, delivering 3 astronauts to the International Space Station for a six-month flight.
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| June 2024 | Boeing launches a crewed flight to fully certify the Starliner spacecraft. |
| June 2024 |
Scaled Composites Tier One
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo program concludes, having conducted only a few tourist flights since 2023.
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| June 24 2024 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Michael Barratt attempted Expedition 71 EVA 2, but the spacewalk was terminated shortly after depressurization due to a water leak in Dyson's spacesuit's service and cooling umbilical unit.
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| April 2024 |
DARPA lunar programs
Program update occurred with industry participants providing insights on lunar economy operationalization, with many proposals focusing on in-situ resource utilization and reduced launch costs.
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| April 25 2024 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub conducted Expedition 71 EVA 1, releasing launch locks on the Mini Radar Unit, installing experiments on Poisk, repositioning equipment, retrieving Biorisk canisters, and wiping down handrails on Nauka and Poisk to check for microbial growth and contamination.
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| March 2024 | The 36th National Student Space Conference (NSSC) was held, during which the 2024/25 Executive Committee for UKSEDS was elected. |
| 2023 |
Ad Astra
Ad Astra magazine won a Gold Award from the MARCOM Awards.
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| 2023 |
Ad Astra
Published a special edition focused on space education, exceeding the typical 68-page length.
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| December 2023 |
DARPA lunar programs
DARPA funded 14 companies including Blue Origin, SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, and others to complete the LunA-10 study by June 2024, exploring infrastructure and capabilities for a moon-based economy.
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| November 1 2023 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Spacewalk by Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara to prepare for future solar array installations, replace a trundle bearing, secure a camera cable, and attempt to retrieve a Space to Ground Antenna. This was the fourth all-female spacewalk on the International Space Station.
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| October 2023 |
DARPA lunar programs
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU APL) was selected to administer the Lunar Guidelines for Infrastructure Consortium (LOGIC), establishing it as a permanent, self-sustaining, and independent forum for collaboration between industry, academia, and government to identify critical lunar infrastructure interoperability and interface needs.
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| October 25 2023 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Spacewalk by Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub to install a mini radar experiment on Nauka, launch a CubeSat, and photograph the RTOd radiator. They encountered challenges with coolant exposure and satellite deployment.
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| August 2023 |
DARPA lunar programs
DARPA announced the LunA-10 program, a seven-month capability study aimed at creating core technology concepts for adaptable, expandable lunar systems with commercial and economic potential.
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| August 9 2023 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Twelfth and final spacewalk to outfit Nauka by Prokopyev and Petelin. They attached debris shields to the Rassvet module and tested the European Robotic Arm's portable workpost.
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| June 22 2023 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Spacewalk by Prokopyev and Petelin to route Ethernet cables, jettison experiment hardware, inspect Zvezda module, retrieve Biorisk containers, and perform various maintenance tasks on the Russian segment.
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| June 15 2023 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Spacewalk by Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg to install the final upgraded IROSA on the 1B power channel, again using Canadarm 2. They completed array installation, covered cables, and prepared for future tasks.
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| June 9 2023 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Spacewalk by Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg to install the first upgraded International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA) on the 1A power channel, using Canadarm 2 to position and deploy the array.
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| May 12 2023 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Eleventh spacewalk by Prokopyev and Petelin to complete Nauka module outfitting. They deployed the radiator, installed cooling jumpers, and prepared for future spacewalks by installing gap spanners and handrails.
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| May 3 2023 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Tenth spacewalk by Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin to outfit Nauka module. They transferred and installed an airlock to Nauka, facing challenges including an ERA uncontrolled roll and tape on electrical connectors.
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| April 2023 |
Spaceplane
India successfully conducted an autonomous landing mission of a scaled-down RLV spaceplane prototype. The prototype was dropped from a Chinook helicopter at 4.5 km altitude and autonomously glided to a purpose-built runway at the Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range in Karnataka.
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| April 28 2023 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Spacewalk by Stephen Bowen and Sultan Al Neyadi, marking Al Neyadi as the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk. They worked on routing cables and securing struts for solar arrays, with the primary task of retrieving the Space to Ground Antenna deferred due to a stuck bolt.
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| April 19 2023 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Ninth spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin to outfit Nauka module, using the European Robotic Arm (ERA) to relocate and install a radiator. This was the longest spacewalk of the expedition, critical for lab activation.
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| February 2 2023 |
International Space Station spacewalks
Final spacewalk of Expedition 68 by Nicole Mann and Koichi Wakata to complete installation of mounting brackets for the 1A solar array in preparation for IROSA delivery. Tasks included installing the final strut, securing bolts, and routing cables.
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| January 2023 |
Spaceflight-related accidents and incidents
NASA and Roscosmos decided to replace Soyuz MS-22 with Soyuz MS-23. Astronaut Frank Rubio's seat was moved to Crew Dragon Endurance, and the crew's mission was extended by several months to prepare Soyuz MS-24.
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| January 20 2023 |
International Space Station spacewalks
First spacewalk of 2023 by Japan's Koichi Wakata and United States's Nicole Mann to install IROSA mounting brackets on the starboard side of the International Space Station. They worked on the 1B Array at the S6 truss, installing cables, tightening bolts, and preparing for future solar array installations.
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| 2022 | SEDS-USA national board leadership for the 2022-2023 term was established, with Audrey Scott from the University of Chicago serving as Chair, Alice Wade from the University of New Hampshire as Vice-chair, Rohan Gupta from the University of Chicago as Treasurer, Griffin Hentzen from Purdue University as Chair of the Council of Chapters, and Nathan Drzadinski from Purdue University as Secretary. |
| 2022 |
DARPA lunar programs
DARPA launched the Novel Orbital and Moon Manufacturing, Materials, and Mass-efficient Design (NOM4D) program to explore using lightweight raw materials that can be transformed and assembled in orbit.
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| 2022 |
Human spaceflights to the International Space Station
Russian invasion of Ukraine created uncertainty about continued international collaboration on ISS missions due to related sanctions on Russia.
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| 2022 | Appeared in the full-length documentary 'Good Night Oppy', which tells the story of the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers. |
| 2022 |
Exploration Systems Architecture Study
First crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft (Artemis 2), representing a critical step in NASA's lunar exploration program.
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| 2022 | Original target date for Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, which was later delayed |
| 2022 | Artemis I mission launched, sending an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon in a 25-day mission. |
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, Human spaceflight, Spaceplane, List of spaceflight-related accidents and incidents, Scaled Composites Tier One, List of human spaceflights to the International Space Station, Lunar habitation, List of International Space Station spacewalks, DARPA lunar programs, Exploration Systems Architecture Study, Ad Astra (magazine), Gemini 8, Vandi Verma & Effect of spaceflight on the human body, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.