NASA says the International Space Station is preparing for a cargo mission swap as the Expedition 75 crew readies to exchange visiting vehicles and restock supplies.
In a NASA blog post, managers said the station is “gearing up for a cargo mission swap next week” to replenish the seven orbital residents, part of routine resupply operations.
Earlier this month the unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 94 spacecraft undocked from the station on Sept. 7 and later reentered Earth’s atmosphere, a departure NASA described as part of normal cargo traffic and disposal of trash.
NASA also announced coverage plans for a follow-up Progress flight. A NASA news release says Progress 96 is scheduled to launch on Sept. 9 from Baikonur and will dock to the station to deliver supplies and equipment.
Mission managers swap visiting cargo vehicles to make room at docking ports and to remove waste-filled ships that then burn up on reentry, NASA explained in its operations posts describing the undocking and upcoming launch.
These rotations are routine but vital: the departing Progress carried waste away from the station, and the arriving vehicle will bring food, fuel and experiment hardware, NASA’s blog and news release state.
For readers tracking station operations, NASA’s daily blog updates list specific crew tasks and vehicle movements; the agency published both the Sept. 3 operations note and a Sept. 8 update on the Progress 94 departure.
Spaceflight coverage and launch schedules place the upcoming docking in the larger cadence of ISS resupply flights this year, which have included multiple Progress and commercial Cargo Dragon missions that together keep station systems and research running.
Internal coverage on the site has recent context on station operations and related launches, including an on-site operations update and recent launch coverage.
For now, NASA’s publicly posted schedule and blog updates are the sources for the planned swap and the near-term launch date; readers can follow NASA social and press pages for live coverage when the Progress 96 launch and docking occur.
Sources
- NASA — “Station Crew Works Earth, Human Research and Preps for Cargo Missions” (said the ISS is “gearing up for a cargo mission swap next week”).
- NASA — “Roscosmos Progress Cargo Spacecraft Departs Space Station” (reported Progress 94 undocked Sept. 7 and reentered).
- NASA — “NASA to Cover Progress 96 Spacecraft Launch, Docking” (scheduled Progress 96 launch on Sept. 9 from Baikonur).
station operations update and recent launch coverage provide additional on-site context.
