Soyuz MS-15 to Carry 3 Expedition 61 Crewmembers to ISS; Experiments and Repairs Planned
Launching from Baikonur Cosmodrome on September 25, Expedition 61 will be the final mission utilizing the Soyuz-FG rocket, as the Roscosmos workhorse relied on by ISS astronauts since 2011 will be decommissioned and replaced by the 21st century Soyuz-2. Capable of lifting 3,000 kg into geostationary transfer orbit, the next generation Soyuz achieves a significant increase over the 1,700 kg capacity of the Soyuz-FG configuration. After a commute of approximately 6 hours aboard Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft, Oleg Skripochka (RSA), flight engineer Jessica Meir (NASA), and the first Emirati astronaut / spaceflight participant Hazzaa AlMansoori (Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre) will join Aleksandr Skvortsov, Andrew Morgan, Nick Hauge, Christina Koch, Luca Parmitano and commander Aleksey Ovchinin. This will bring the total number of residents aboard ISS to 9 temporarily, before the departure of Ovchinin and Hauge October 3. Parmitano will take over command of Expedition 61, marking the first time that an Italy Astronaut has commanded the ISS. Since launching July 20, 50 years to the day of Apollo 11 lunar landing, Parmitano has also made history as the first disc jockey in space, transmitting a 12-minute electronic music set to Earth. Crew will work on 173 ongoing scientific experiments and Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), a particle detector searching for dark matter located outside of the station, will be repaired via EVA. (Image Credits: NASA, ESA, RSA)
MONDAY
Highlights… Sep 23 — ISS, 405-km LEO: Expedition 60 to become 9-member crew this week and undergo orientation procedures, working with Electro-static Levitation Furnace, transferring cargo from Progress 73P and filling with waste, preparing for JAXA HTV-8 and cargo arrival.
Sep 23 — NewSpace: Open Lunar Foundation advocates for Moon base, commences with US$5M initial investment; Virgin Galactic assembles main components of another SpaceShip Two; LandSpace ZQ-1 booster departing for Jiuquan to attempt orbital launch in Oct; Janet Kavandi joins SNC.
Sep 23 — Galaxy: Astronomers measure MSP J0740+6620, most massive neutron star yet found; Hubble returns images of Messier 110, satellite galaxy of Andromeda; Germany astronomers use gravitational lensing to find unusually high measure of contentious Hubble-Lemaitre constant.
Sep 23 — Global: Philippine Space Agency to receive P2 billion (~US38M) in initial funds and be established on an area of 30 hectares (74 acres); Japan Space Elevator Association performing ground tests – general contractor Obayashi Corp. aims to create space elevator system by 2050; ESA to work with NASA on ExoMars 2020 parachute tests.
Sep 23 — USA: Orion spacecraft for Artemis 1 mission moves to NASA Plum Brook station (proposed to be renamed for Neil Armstrong) for final testing; NASA proposes Artemis Gateway logo; Advanced Space to be awarded US$13.7M contract for lunar orbit CubeSat; Ad Astra opening week.
Sep 23 — Hawai’i: Maunakea observatories advance operations, free access to summit still blocked, Moratorium possible; Gemini images interstellar comet C/2019 Q4; Keck observations show vicinity of Milky Way central black hole shining brighter than ever; CFHT observes Haumea family of interstellar objects.
Sep 23 — JAXA, Launch H-2B / HTV-8,Tanegashima Space Center, Japan: An uncrewed Japan H-2B rocket set to launch 8th H-2 transfer vehicle (Kounotori 8) to deliver supplies to ISS.
= All times
for terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for international terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for space events, and…
= All times for international space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).
Huntsville NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts 2019 Symposium Seeks New Disruptive Technologies
NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program holds the 2019 NIAC Symposium September 24-26 at Hilton Embassy Suites in “Rocket City” Huntsville, AL. NIAC sponsors innovations in a variety of sciences that may lead to breakthroughs in spaceflight and other disruptive technologies, aiding NASA goals of exploring the Moon, solar system and beyond. The event is preceded by a tour of the Space and Rocket Center near NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Speakers at the symposium include former astronaut Mae Jemison, now head of 100-Year Starship Foundation, and David Burns of the MSFC Science and Technology Office. During the symposium NIAC-funded researchers will give status reports of their various projects. The evening of Sep 25 is an informal gathering for Women of Science. On Sep 27 is a tour of the United Launch Alliance facility, where the new Vulcan Centaur booster will be fabricated. On Sep 28 are “Inventive Science and Genius” lectures for the public about turning science fiction into science fact. The 18 projects given awards in 2019 by NIAC include a “Smartsuit” EVA suit, a power source for interstellar probes, and Lunar-polar Propellant Outpost for mining the Moon. Projects already funded by NIAC include concepts for advanced spacesuits, a “vacuum airship’ for exploring Mars; a Titan submarine for a Saturn moon, a hopper vehicle for Neptune’s moon Triton, even concepts for interstellar flight. (Image Credits: NASA, NIAC)
Sep 23-24 — Medina Media Events, Les Roches Marbella International School of Hotel Management, Marbella, Spain:Space & Underwater Tourism Universal Summit; featuring speakers Sam Scimemi of NASA, Bernard Foing of ESA, Tony Gannon of Space Florida, more.
Jan 2019 – Sep 2020 — New Horizons, Kuiper Belt: Full data from spacecraft 7 instruments during KBO Ultima Thule flyby to be transmitted to Earth over this time period.
NET Aug – Nov — Hayabusa2, Asteroid 162173 Ryugu: JAXA Hayabusa2 with 2 sample returns planned to remain at Asteroid for observations during this time period, then return to Earth.
Sep 24 — Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), Mars Orbit: India ISRO orbiter reaches 5 full years / enters 6th year of operations in Mars orbit; launched Nov 5, 2013.
Sep 24 — CNSA, Launch Long March 2D / Yunhai 1-02, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China: Long March 2D rocket ti launch Yunhai 1-02 environmental monitoring satellite.
Sep 24-26 — UKspace, ADS, Tech UK, SFN, SME Forum, et al, Caerleon, United Kingdom:UKspace Conference 2019.
Sep 24 — Apollo Asteroid 523934 (1998 FF14): Near-Earth Flyby (0.028 AU)
WEDNESDAY
Sep 25 — Roscosmos State Corporation, Launch Soyuz MS-15 / ISS 61S, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: Last flight of RSA Soyuz FG booster to launch Oleg Skripochka, NASA Jessica Meir, and first UAE astronaut Hazzaa Ali Almansoori to ISS.
Sep 25 — Center for Space Commerce & Finance, Digital Platforms:Mission Eve Podcast to launch today; dedicated to the inspiration and empowerment of the women who will lead our species to settle new worlds; hosted by Meagan Crawford.
Sep 26-29 — HawaiiCon Organization, et al, Keauhou HI: HawaiiCon 2019; along with Pacific-Basin STEAM Teaching Conference and Science Fiction, Popular Cultures Academic Conference.
Sep 27-29 — Calgary Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada:33rd Annual Alberta Star Party.
Sep 27 — Moon: at perigee (distance 357,814 km), 16:29; 3.8° NNE of Mars, 19:00.
Sep 27 — Apollo Asteroid 2006 QV89: Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU)
SATURDAY
Sep 28 — Astrosat, 650-km Near Equatorial LEO: ISRO first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory begins its 5th year in space today, launched 2015.
Sep 28 — Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS), University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico:Puerto Rican Space Exploration Festival.
Emanating from ~6km-wide comet with 5.3-year Solar orbit, visible in constellation Aquarius near star Delta Aquarii, fast, faint meteors peak on this night, best...
The International Research Conference is a federated organization dedicated to bringing together a significant number of diverse scholarly events for presentation within the conference...
Includes ~150 meetings covering the fields of COSPAR Scientific Commissions / Panels / Task Groups, such as SC B: The Earth-Moon System, Planets, and...
From 02 to 07 August 2026, a few thousand geoscientists across diverse disciplines will gather at the 23rd annual meeting of the Asia Oceania Geosciences...
2:45 pm EDT from Johnson Space Center, NASA astronaut Chris Williams will recap his recent eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station. Williams returned to...
NASA Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory) rover surpasses another full year of operations on Mars surface today; launched Nov 26, 2011 – landed Aug 5,...
Virtual Series 2026 will offer deeper conversations on why PQC matters and the practical steps businesses should be taking; starts 1:00 pm AEST. Featuring:...
This international lunar science meeting has two objectives: to provide a platform for leading experts to review recent advances across lunar research, from the...
At CSIR International Convention Centre. Key topics are Earth Observation, Developing Space Tourism, Space Supply Manufacturing. Cultural tours are offered.
Sep 23 — 
Sep 23 — NewSpace: 
Sep 23 — USA: 
= All times
= All times for international terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for space events, and…
= All times for international space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).
NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program holds the 2019 NIAC Symposium September 24-26 at Hilton Embassy Suites in “Rocket City” Huntsville, AL. NIAC sponsors innovations in a variety of sciences that may lead to breakthroughs in spaceflight and other disruptive technologies, aiding NASA goals of exploring the Moon, solar system and beyond. The event is preceded by a tour of the Space and Rocket Center near NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Speakers at the symposium include former astronaut Mae Jemison, now head of 100-Year Starship Foundation, and David Burns of the MSFC Science and Technology Office. During the symposium NIAC-funded researchers will give status reports of their various projects. The evening of Sep 25 is an informal gathering for Women of Science. On Sep 27 is a tour of the United Launch Alliance facility, where the new Vulcan Centaur booster will be fabricated. On Sep 28 are “Inventive Science and Genius” lectures for the public about turning science fiction into science fact. The 18 projects given awards in 2019 by NIAC include a “Smartsuit” EVA suit, a power source for interstellar probes, and Lunar-polar Propellant Outpost for mining the Moon. Projects already funded by NIAC include concepts for advanced spacesuits, a “vacuum airship’ for exploring Mars; a Titan submarine for a Saturn moon, a hopper vehicle for Neptune’s moon Triton, even concepts for interstellar flight. (Image Credits: NASA, NIAC)
