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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronauts for Crew-11 fly into KSC ahead of upcoming launch
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — The business of hurtling humans into space is getting routine on the Space Coast with the fourth flight of a SpaceX Crew Dragon queued up for this week. The crew going for that ride arrived in Florida on Saturday. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, the quartet for SpaceX's Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station, flew into the former space shuttle landing site at KSC after noon under the searing sun as temperatures on the tarmac climbed into the 90s. 'Sorry for the heat, but it's Florida in the summertime,' said veteran Fincke, who kept cracking jokes and even made bunny ears behind Platonov's head during a photo as the crewmates talked to media. They're slated to lift off as early as 12:09 p.m. Thursday from KSC's Launch Pad 39-A atop a Falcon 9 rocket riding in the Crew Dragon Endeavour. 'We've been training together for over a year now and we are ready to fly,' said Cardman, who is making her first spaceflight. 'As a first-time flyer, this is the first moment when it's really starting to feel real.' They expect at least a six-month stay on board the space station where they will relieve the four members of Crew-10 on board since March. In addition to the two NASA flights this year, SpaceX has flown a private polar orbital mission Fram2 in March and the private Axiom Space Ax-4 mission to the space station last month. The launch is one shy of the five human spaceflight missions from Florida seen in 2024, although it would equal the number of people launching with 16 in space. Both last year's Boeing Starliner CFT mission and the Crew-9 mission only flew up with two crew each instead of four. That was because Crew-9 became the ride home for Starliner astronauts after NASA opted to send Boeing's beleaguered spacecraft home minus crew over safety concerns — and they ultimately had to be ferried home by SpaceX. NASA astronaut Michael Fincke talks about how he started to bald after going to space causing laughter from Crew-11 crewmate and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui after they arrived to Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, July 26, 2025 ahead of their planned launch this week to the International Space Station. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel) NASA astronaut and pilot Michael Fincke gives a handoff wave to Crew-11 crewmate JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yu as NASA astronaut and commander Zena Cardman, left, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, right, look on after they arrived to Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, July 26, 2025 ahead of their planned launch this week to the International Space Station. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel) NASA astronaut and pilot Michael Fincke cracks a joke causing JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui to break into laughter after they and their fellow Crew-11 crewmates, NASA astronaut and commander Zena Cardman and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, arrived to Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, July 26, 2025 ahead of their planned launch this week to the International Space Station. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel) The four members of Crew-11 arrive to Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, July 26, 2025 ahead of their planned launch this week to the International Space Station. From left to right are NASA astronaut and commander Zena Cardman, NASA astronaut and pilot Michael Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov along with his translator. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel) The four members of Crew-11 arrive to Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, July 26, 2025 ahead of their planned launch this week to the International Space Station. From left to right are NASA astronaut and commander Zena Cardman, NASA astronaut and pilot Michael Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov along with his translator. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel) Show Caption1 of 6NASA astronaut Michael Fincke, right, raises some bunny ears behind the head Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov while posing for photos with their Crew-11 crewmates, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, after arriving at Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, July 26, 2025 ahead of their planned launch this week to the International Space Station. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel)Expand Endeavour is making a record sixth trip to space, the first of SpaceX's fleet of five Crew Dragons to hit that mark as NASA looks to stretch their utility beyond the original five flights for which they have been certified. Cardman was originally tapped as commander for the Crew-9 mission, but as a rookie, she was bumped in favor of another member of that crew with flight experience. She is now back for Crew-11 as its commander. She becomes the last of 12 NASA astronauts from the 2017 class known as The Turtles to make it space. 'In spaceflight, the journey is often nonlinear. It's just a privilege to be here with this crew, especially. I have the privilege of overlapping with one of my classmates, Jonny Kim, who's currently on board as a member of Expedition 73. I also have the privilege of flying with Kimiya Yui, whose patch has a turtle on it. And so that makes him an honorary turtle in my heart.' Fincke was also reassigned from what was supposed to be Starliner's first operational crew mission, Starliner-1, but shifted to this SpaceX mission as Boeing and NASA continue to work on Starliner's issues. He is making his fourth trip to space having made trips on Soyuz in 2004 and 2008 as well as the penultimate flight of the Space Shuttle Program, STS-134, on Space Shuttle Endeavour in 2011. 'It's been a really interesting journey watching brand new spaceships be built,' Fincke said. 'I'm very proud of our teams, both SpaceX and Boeing, to what they built together and really proud to actually finally fly on a commercial crew spacecraft.' Japan's Yui also was training for a Starliner flight, but is now headed for his second trip to space — having been on a Soyuz mission in 2015. 'My last mission was 10 years ago, so I'm very much looking forward to going back to my home,' he said. Platonov joins Cardman as the second rookie on this mission. The four will be on board when the station reaches a milestone on Nov. 2, which will signify 25 years of continuous occupation. They will be part of Expeditions 73 and 74 along with the three members on board that flew up on a Soyuz. 'I'm personally looking forward to going back up to the space station. I helped build it, and now I get to see it in its full maturity with six other crewmates,' Fincke said. NASA looks to decommission the station after 2030. 'I know it's coming near its time, but this is something that I think that humans should just really remember of all the cool things we can do when we work together constructively,' Fincke said. Solve the daily Crossword
The Hill
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
SpaceX is getting into the cosmic manufacturing business
Having revolutionized the space launch system and space-based telecommunications, SpaceX has fixed on a new industry to conquer. Elon Musk's company is developing a business called Starfall which will facilitate space-based manufacturing. SpaceX's approach is something of a departure from other companies such as Vast and Axiom which envision private space stations serviced by spacecraft such as the Crew Dragon. The Starship would take a number of capsules outfitted as miniature labs or factories to low Earth orbit. After a period of research into high valued products such as pharmaceuticals or computer chips or their outright manufacture, the capsules would return to Earth independently. SpaceX is already in talks with potential customers for Starfall. The company envisions the new business beginning at the end of the current decade. A recent piece in Forbes has an excellent rundown about the state of play in regards to space manufacturing. Experiments on the International Space Station by companies such as Merck and Redwire have shown the promise of products that use the unique properties of the space environment, including microgravity, hard vacuum and even radiation is very real. The question is, when will the promise become reality: decades from now, or sooner? The author of the Forbes article thinks that a space manufacturing sector is decades away, say in the time of our grandchildren. A number of companies building private space stations are betting that the time will come much sooner, perhaps as early as the 2030s. What kind of products might be created in space that can't be manufactured on Earth? Redwire, a space manufacturing and infrastructure company first founded in 2020 and most famous for deploying a 3D printer on the International Space Station, has a few ideas. Pharmaceuticals, particularly in regards to 'uniform crystal production and formulation' important for developing new drugs. Tissue bioprinting, which could lead to the production of transplantable organs derived from a patient's stem cells. Manufactured products, including fiber optics, laser components and turbomachine parts. The timing of the Starfall business is interesting in that the International Space Station is scheduled to end its operational life by 2030. Companies like Redwire will be able to switch over to the SpaceX-derived business seamlessly to continue their research and perhaps start making things for paying customers. Starfall will have several competitors in the space manufacturing game. Vast Aerospace is likely to be the first out the gate with its Haven-1 space station, a small-scale facility capable of hosting four astronauts for 30-day stays. Haven-1's launch has been pushed back to May 2026. Haven-1 could be followed by Haven-2, a much larger facility to be built between 2028 and 2032. Axiom Space is planning a space station, starting no earlier than 2027 with construction to conclude in the early 2030s. Axion has already mounted four private space missions to the International Space Station. Orbital Reef is a joint venture between Blue Origin and Sierra Space. The facility is not only designed to facilitate research and space manufacturing, but tourism as well. Operations may begin in 2027 or later. Starlab is a commercial space station envisioned by Starlab Space and is planned for launch no earlier than 2028. It will consist of a service module and a habitat/laboratory module. Starlab will specifically not cater to the space tourism market. It should be noted that however each of these and perhaps other commercial space stations come to fruition, SpaceX is likely to make money on them, as well. The company currently possesses the only commercial means to send people to and from low Earth orbit in the form of the Crew Dragon. NASA and Boeing are trying to fix the problems with the Starliner, a long, difficult and expensive process. How fast the process of space-based manufacturing proceeds is an open question. Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos dreams of a time in which all heavy industry moves off planet, leaving Earth relatively free of pollution and human-caused climate change. That development, if it happens at all, is likely to take many decades if not centuries. SpaceX was at the center of the first two commercial space industries, space launch with its Falcon family of rockets and telecommunications with its Starlink system. Whether the company decides to build its own space station based on the Starship or just stick with Starfall, it is likely to also be at the center of the next great space commercial development, the manufacture of products in low Earth orbit. No wonder Musk is the richest man on the planet.
NHK
3 days ago
- Science
- NHK
Japanese astronaut Yui arrives at Kennedy Space Center
Japanese astronaut Yui Kimiya and the other members of the crew set to depart for the International Space Station have arrived at the launch site in the US state of Florida. A Crew Dragon spacecraft is expected to lift off from Kennedy Space Center as early as Thursday shortly after 12 p.m. local time. The crew is scheduled to spend about six months at the space station. Yui and the other members from the United States and Russia arrived in Florida on Saturday. Yui told reporters that he is very grateful to be there as part of a great team. He added that they respect each other's cultural and linguistic differences, and that they will be able to show a good example of international cooperation. Yui also said the crew is ready just like his hair, which was cut short ahead of the mission's launch. Upon his arrival at the ISS, Yui is expected to take over duties from Japanese astronaut Onishi Takuya, who has been staying at the space station since March.
NDTV
22-07-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Earth Looks One From Space: Shubhanshu Shukla's Quote Features In New NCERT Book
New Delhi: Shubhanshu Shukla, who became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS), is now featured in the newly released NCERT Class 5 Environmental Studies textbook with his awe-inspiring words about Earth from space. Group Captain Shukla, who completed an 18-day mission aboard the ISS on July 15, described how Earth appeared to him from space. "After seeing Earth from outside, the first thought that came to mind was that Earth looks completely one; no border is visible from outside. It seems that no border exists, no state exists, no countries exist. We all are part of humanity, and the Earth is our one home, and all of us are in it," The book, titled "Our Wondrous World," has quoted him saying under the chapter "Earth, Our Shared Home". The quote was part of his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and now aims to inspire young minds to think beyond boundaries and embrace unity. Group Captain Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force officer and test pilot, completed his maiden space voyage as part of the Axiom-4 mission, a commercial spaceflight supported by ISRO and NASA, and operated by Axiom Space. The journey marked a milestone for India: He is the first Indian to step aboard the ISS and only the second Indian to go into space, following Rakesh Sharma's iconic flight in 1984. Born on October 10, 1985-just a year after Sharma's spaceflight-Shukla grew up in Lucknow in a middle-class family with no direct links to aviation or space. But a childhood visit to an airshow lit a spark. After several postponements, Group Captain Shukla finally launched from the Kennedy Space Center on June 25, aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Ten minutes into the mission, the Dragon capsule entered orbit, prompting Shukla to declare in Hindi, "Kamaal ki ride thi" ("It was a great ride") and share his sense of national pride. Group Captain Shukla returned after spending an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station. The textbook, developed under the framework of the National Education Policy 2020, is part of a new integrated approach to learning that merges science, social science and environmental studies. Part of the The World Around Us series, the book aims to cultivate observation, ethical reasoning and environmental awareness in young learners. Alongside Group Captain Shukla's reflections, the textbook introduces innovative systems such as DIGIPIN, a digital address identifier for precise location mapping. It also includes content on oral health safety, microbial life, flood preparedness, and food preservation techniques.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Earth looks one from space, no border exists: Shubhanshu Shukla's quote featured in new NCERT book
Shubhanshu Shukla , who became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS), is now featured in the newly released NCERT Class 5 Environmental Studies textbook with his awe-inspiring words about Earth from space . Shukla, who completed an 18-day mission aboard the ISS on July 15, described how Earth appeared to him from space. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category MBA MCA Others Cybersecurity Leadership CXO Project Management Healthcare Management Data Analytics Data Science Product Management Operations Management Data Science PGDM healthcare Digital Marketing Public Policy Design Thinking Technology others Finance Degree Artificial Intelligence Skills you'll gain: Analytical Skills Financial Literacy Leadership and Management Skills Strategic Thinking Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT Online MBA Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Financial Management Team Leadership & Collaboration Financial Reporting & Analysis Advocacy Strategies for Leadership Duration: 18 Months UMass Global Master of Business Administration (MBA) Starts on May 13, 2024 Get Details "After seeing Earth from outside, the first thought that came to mind was that Earth looks completely one; no border is visible from outside. It seems that no border exists, no state exists, no countries exist. We all are part of humanity, and the Earth is our one home, and all of us are in it," the book, titled "Our Wondrous World," has quoted him saying under the chapter "Earth, Our Shared Home". by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Even Beautiful Women Have Their 'Oops' Moments Read More Undo The quote was part of his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and now aims to inspire young minds to think beyond boundaries and embrace unity. Group Captain Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force officer and test pilot, completed his maiden space voyage as part of the Axiom-4 mission , a commercial spaceflight supported by ISRO and NASA , and operated by Axiom Space. Live Events The journey marked a milestone for India: Shukla is the first Indian to step aboard the ISS and only the second Indian to go into space, following Rakesh Sharma's iconic flight in 1984. Born on October 10, 1985-just a year after Sharma's spaceflight-Shukla grew up in Lucknow in a middle-class family with no direct links to aviation or space. But a childhood visit to an airshow lit a spark. After several postponements, Shukla finally launched from the Kennedy Space Center on June 25, aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Ten minutes into the mission, the Dragon capsule entered orbit, prompting Shukla to declare in Hindi, "Kamaal ki ride thi" ("It was a great ride") and share his sense of national pride. Shukla returned after spending an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station. The textbook, developed under the framework of the National Education Policy 2020 , is part of a new integrated approach to learning that merges science, social science and environmental studies. Part of the The World Around Us series, the book aims to cultivate observation, ethical reasoning and environmental awareness in young learners. Alongside Shukla's reflections, the textbook introduces innovative systems such as DIGIPIN, a digital address identifier for precise location mapping. It also includes content on oral health safety, microbial life, flood preparedness, and food preservation techniques.
