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You Won’t Believe How Easily You Can Spot the ISS – Ultimate International Space Station Viewing Guide

ISS Legacy and the Commercial Space Race: Why 2020s Are Launching Humanity Into Deep Space

ISS: A Launch Pad for Deep Space Exploration When the International Space Station was first assembled in 1998, NASA envisioned it as more than a laboratory. It would be a bridge into the solar system—a place to master living and working in space, develop life‑support systems and test technologies before committing astronauts to long voyages. In 2025, with the ISS still orbiting 400 kilometres above Earth, that vision is clearer than ever. Mastering a New Environment Micro‑gravity is a harsh teacher. On the ISS, astronauts must adapt to drinking in weightlessness, sleeping in vertical sleeping bags and maintaining fitness when bones
2 October 2025
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Skywatch Alert: Meteors, Auroras & ISS Sighting to Light Up Oct 1–2, 2025

Skywatch Alert: Meteors, Auroras & ISS Sighting to Light Up Oct 1–2, 2025

Key Facts Meteor Showers & Comets Early October brings two modest meteor showers. The Orionids, active Sept 26–Nov 7, begin in earnest on Oct 2 amsmeteors.org starwalk.space. NASA notes the Orionids arise from “debris trailing behind Halley’s Comet” and typically yield ~10–20 meteors/hr at peak science.nasa.gov. (Peak viewing is mid-Oct, but with the New Moon on Oct 21–22 the sky will be dark.) Meanwhile, the Southern Taurids (active Sept 20–Nov 20) are underway; these slow meteors from Comet 2P/Encke are rich in bright fireballs amsmeteors.org. Note the sky will be fairly bright around Oct 1–2 (Moon ~¾ full in-the-sky.org), so expect
1 October 2025
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Space Drama Unfolds: Starship Scrubs, ISS Boosts & Cosmic Breakthroughs (Aug 25–26, 2025)

Space Drama Unfolds: Starship Scrubs, ISS Boosts & Cosmic Breakthroughs (Aug 25–26, 2025)

Rocket Launches and Mission Highlights Breakthrough Scientific Discoveries and Tech Advances Policy and Regulatory Developments Commercial and Industry News Sources: Spaceflight Now spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com; Space.com space.com space.com space.com space.com; NASA/Wallops abc11.com abc11.com; ISRO isro.gov.in isro.gov.in; Copernical/SpaceNews copernical.com copernical.com; The Moscow Times themoscowtimes.com; EurekAlert (AURA/NSO) eurekalert.org eurekalert.org; RTL Today Luxembourg today.rtl.lu today.rtl.lu.
26 August 2025
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Space Race Heats Up: ISS Gets a Boost, Starship Scrubs & New Cosmic Ambitions (Aug 24–25, 2025)

Space Race Heats Up: ISS Gets a Boost, Starship Scrubs & New Cosmic Ambitions (Aug 24–25, 2025)

SpaceX’s 33rd Cargo Dragon mission (CRS-33) launched from Cape Canaveral at 2:45 a.m. EDT on Aug. 24, 2025, carrying more than 5,000 pounds of supplies and a trunk-mounted boost module to raise the ISS orbit. The Dragon’s trunk contains an independent propulsion system with two Draco engines to perform orbit-raising burns starting in September 2025 and reduce reliance on Russia’s Progress freighters. Starting in September 2025, Dragon will perform a series of ISS orbit-raising burns to sustain altitude, providing about 1.5× the reboost capability of a Russian Progress. Capsule C211, the 50th SpaceX Dragon to reach the ISS, autonomously docked
25 August 2025
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From Space Shuttle to SpaceX Dragon: How a Reusable Capsule Became the ISS’s Lifeline

From Space Shuttle to SpaceX Dragon: How a Reusable Capsule Became the ISS’s Lifeline

In 2011, NASA retired the Space Shuttle, leaving the ISS without its primary American supply line. May 2012 marked SpaceX’s Dragon as the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous and berth with the ISS, delivering about 1,200 pounds of cargo and later returning roughly 1,300 pounds. October 2012’s CRS-1 mission launched the first official NASA Commercial Resupply Services delivery, providing around 400 kg of supplies to the station. On June 28, 2015, a Falcon 9 rocket failure destroyed the CRS-7 mission and its Dragon cargo. June 3, 2017, the CRS-11 mission demonstrated the first reuse of a Dragon capsule, signaling major
24 August 2025
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You Won’t Believe How Easily You Can Spot the ISS – Ultimate International Space Station Viewing Guide

You Won’t Believe How Easily You Can Spot the ISS – Ultimate International Space Station Viewing Guide

The ISS is roughly football-field-sized, sits about 250 miles above Earth, travels at about 17,500 mph, and completes an orbit every ~92 minutes, circling Earth about 16 times per day. Its orbit is inclined about 51.6° to the equator, so its ground track passes over more than 90% of Earth’s population and it never goes farther north than 51.6° N or south than 51.6° S. It shines by reflected sunlight, is often the third-brightest object after the Sun and Moon, appears as a steady white dot with no blinking, and can flare slightly when sunlight glints off its solar panels.
16 August 2025
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Historic Liftoff! Poland’s “Star Scientist” Launches on SpaceX Dragon—All the Inside Details on the Ax-4 Mission, Crew and Experiments

SpaceX’s ‘Grace’ Roars to Orbit: Axiom Mission 4 Sends India, Poland & Hungary Back to Space — and Signals the Dawn of a Truly Global Commercial ISS Era

Liftoff occurred at 2:31 a.m. EDT (06:31 UTC) on 25 June 2025 from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, and the Falcon 9 booster landed at LZ-1 eight minutes later. Dragon C213, the fifth and final production Crew Dragon, was named Grace by Commander Peggy Whitson moments after orbital insertion. The two‑week Ax‑4 mission carried about 60 experiments for 31 nations, the largest research manifest of any Axiom flight. The multinational crew included Peggy Whitson (USA), Shubhanshu Shukla (India’s first ISS astronaut), Sławosz Uznański‑Wiśniewski (Poland’s first ISS visitor), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary’s first spacefarer in 45 years). Ax‑4 marked
25 June 2025
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Historic Liftoff! Poland’s “Star Scientist” Launches on SpaceX Dragon—All the Inside Details on the Ax-4 Mission, Crew and Experiments

Historic Liftoff! Poland’s “Star Scientist” Launches on SpaceX Dragon—All the Inside Details on the Ax-4 Mission, Crew and Experiments

On June 25 at 08:31 CEST, SpaceX Crew Dragon “Grace” launched from Pad 39A with four astronauts on Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). Peggy Whitson (USA) commands Ax-4 and is on her fifth spaceflight, with a U.S. orbital record of 675 days. Shubhanshu Shukla (India) is Pilot for Ax-4, becoming the first Indian in space since 1984. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland) is the first Polish national on the ISS and the second Pole in space. Tibor Kapu (Hungary) is Ax-4’s Mission Specialist, marking Hungary’s first visitor to the ISS. Poland’s 47-year space drought ends with Ax-4, following Mirosław Hermaszewski’s 1978 Soyuz 30
25 June 2025
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Track Satellites in Real Time – The Ultimate Guide to Satellite Trackers, Apps, and Imagery (ISS, Starlink & More)

Track Satellites in Real Time – The Ultimate Guide to Satellite Trackers, Apps, and Imagery (ISS, Starlink & More)

NASA released the Spot The Station mobile app in November 2023 to extend ISS flyover tracking beyond the website. FindStarlink.com provides Starlink sighting predictions with visibility labels (bright, average, dim) and a live map, plus free iOS/Android companion apps; it is ad-free and donations are optional. Orbitrack offers offline access to thousands of satellites, is a one-time purchase around $4.99, features 3D orbit visualizations and an AR Sky View, and has a Mac version for about $9.99. ISS Detector is a popular free Android and iOS app that can unlock a larger satellite catalog with a paid upgrade, sends alerts
20 June 2025
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