Chris Williams

New Capabilities

Aboard the ISS

For more than a decade, NASA has relied on private companies to haul groceries, lab equipment, and experiments to the International Space Station — a deliberate bet that commercial logistics would be cheaper and more reliable than government-built rockets. On April 11, 2026, Northrop Grumman's enlarged Cygnus XL spacecraft launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9, delivering roughly 11,000 pounds of science cargo to the station, including hardware for quantum physics research and therapeutic stem cell production.

Updated Apr 11

New Capabilities

Aboard the ISS since November 27, 2025

Russia has not been able to send a single spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) since November 27, when a 22-ton service cabin tore loose during a rocket launch and crashed into the flame trench at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan — the only launch site on Earth configured for Russian crewed and cargo missions to the station. On March 22, a Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying the Progress MS-33 cargo ship lifted off from that same repaired pad, restoring a logistics pathway that had been severed for 115 days.

Updated Mar 22

Built World

Aboard the ISS on Expedition 74

The International Space Station's original solar arrays were designed to last 15 years. The oldest set has now been in orbit for 25, battered by radiation and micrometeorite strikes until the station's total power output dropped from 240 kilowatts to roughly 160 — a one-third loss. On March 18, 2026, astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams stepped outside the station for a 6.5-hour spacewalk to begin preparing the final two power channels for new roll-out solar arrays that will restore the station's electrical capacity.

Updated Mar 18

Force in Play

Aboard ISS

NASA's first medical evacuation from the International Space Station (ISS) occurred on January 14, 2026, when SpaceX Crew Dragon undocked carrying four astronauts home six weeks early due to a serious but stable medical condition with one crew member. This ended a 25-year streak without such an event, despite statistical models predicting one every three years. The crew splashed down safely off California on January 15 after 167 days in space.

Updated Feb 14