Human Spaceflight & Space Stations News

Space.com • Mike Wall

Shenzhou‑21 inspects debris‑damaged Shenzhou‑20 in eight‑hour spacewalk; return vehicle judged unfit for reentry

Shenzhou‑21 astronauts conducted a spacewalk on Monday, lasting roughly eight hours, to inspect and photograph debris damage to the Shenzhou‑20 return vehicle docked at Tiangong. A suspected orbital‑debris strike has rendered Shenzhou‑20 unfit for reentry and delayed the crew's return.

2025-12-09T11:05:35.834228-08:00

Space Policy Online

Former NASA chief tells Congress Artemis is 'doomed' and the US has 'lost a lot of time' — warns of losing Moon to China

2025-12-04T20:45:36.140539-08:00

Space.com

German named first European astronaut slated to fly to the Moon

2025-12-01T12:08:57.835785-08:00

Reuters

NASA trims Boeing Starliner crew missions to four, converts next flight to cargo as ISS nears retirement

2025-11-24T10:27:44.947231-08:00

Human Spaceflight & Space Stations News Timeline

Space.com

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Shenzhou‑21 inspects debris‑damaged Shenzhou‑20 in eight‑hour spacewalk; return vehicle judged unfit for reentry Shenzhou‑21 astronauts conducted a spacewalk on Monday, lasting roughly eight hours, to inspect and photograph debris damage to the Shenzhou‑20 return vehicle docked at Tiangong. A suspected orbital‑debris strike has rendered Shenzhou‑20 unfit for reentry and delayed the crew's return.

2025-12-09T11:05:35.834228-08:00

Shenzhou‑21 inspects debris‑damaged Shenzhou‑20 in eight‑hour spacewalk; return vehicle judged unfit for reentry

Space.com

Report: first human missions to Mars should prioritise hunt for signs of life A new report says the primary scientific objective for the first crewed missions to Mars must be searching for evidence of past or present life. The assessment prioritizes life-detection experiments and will shape landing-site, payload and sample strategies for early human exploration.

2025-12-09T08:12:57.765295-08:00

Report: first human missions to Mars should prioritise hunt for signs of life

collectSPACE

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Artemis IV astronauts to land with and deploy lunar outpost rover — first human-robot surface partnership beyond Earth NASA will send astronauts on Artemis IV to land with and deploy a lunar outpost rover to study lunar dust and surface conditions, marking the first time humans will work alongside a robot on another celestial body. MAPP hardware will accompany the crew named for the second Artemis landing.

2025-12-09T02:31:32.173292-08:00

Artemis IV astronauts to land with and deploy lunar outpost rover — first human-robot surface partnership beyond Earth

NASA

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Soyuz lands in Kazakhstan, returning Jonny Kim and two Roscosmos cosmonauts after eight‑month ISS mission NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky undocked Monday evening aboard their Soyuz ferry, reentered and touched down on the Kazakhstan steppe early Tuesday, completing an on‑schedule, approximately eight‑month mission to the International Space Station.

2025-12-08T19:50:51.856165-08:00

Soyuz lands in Kazakhstan, returning Jonny Kim and two Roscosmos cosmonauts after eight‑month ISS mission

SpaceNews.com

NASA extends CASIS agreement to manage ISS National Lab, likely a final extension NASA granted a short extension to its agreement with CASIS to continue managing the ISS's U.S. National Laboratory, likely the final renewal as the agency shifts responsibility toward commercial low‑Earth‑orbit platforms. The move preserves in‑orbit research access while NASA accelerates commercialization plans.

2025-12-08T03:32:58.541123-08:00

NASA extends CASIS agreement to manage ISS National Lab, likely a final extension

SpaceQ

Artemis 2: Hansen explains flywheel countermeasure to protect muscle and bone aboard Orion Artemis 2 astronaut Jeremy Hansen explains using a compact flywheel exercise device aboard Orion to generate resistive loading in microgravity, a countermeasure to limit muscle atrophy and bone loss during the flyby and future longer missions. He outlines its planned operation and crew-health objectives.

2025-12-07T12:06:47.593795-08:00

Artemis 2: Hansen explains flywheel countermeasure to protect muscle and bone aboard Orion

Space.com

In-orbit menstrual-cup test shows feasibility and highlights need for more menstrual-management options A small-scale experiment sending a menstrual cup to orbit showed the device can function in microgravity, indicating reusable menstrual management is feasible for long-duration missions. Most current astronauts pause menstruation with hormones before flight; the test highlights the need to expand in‑flight options and procedures.

2025-12-07T05:08:23.390231-08:00

In-orbit menstrual-cup test shows feasibility and highlights need for more menstrual-management options

Universe Today

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Accident at Baikonur destroys maintenance cabin, indefinitely halts Russia’s crewed and cargo launches to the ISS A severe accident at Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome destroyed a maintenance cabin and has indefinitely halted the country’s ability to launch crewed Soyuz and uncrewed Progress cargo missions to the International Space Station. The incident removes Russia’s sole operable ground capability for scheduled crew rotations and cargo deliveries pending repair.

2025-12-06T17:54:02.709431-08:00

Accident at Baikonur destroys maintenance cabin, indefinitely halts Russia’s crewed and cargo launches to the ISS

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