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. It delivered roughly 11,000 pounds of science cargo, including hardware for quantum physics research and therapeutic stem cell production.

Updated May 31

New Capabilities

Aboard the ISS since November 27, 2025

Russia hasn't sent a spacecraft to the ISS since November 27, when a 22-ton service cabin crashed into the flame trench at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan — the only pad for Russian crewed and cargo flights. On March 22, a Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying Progress MS-33 lifted off from the repaired pad, restoring supply lines severed for 115 days.

Updated May 30

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 for a 6.5-hour spacewalk to prepare the final two power channels for new roll-out solar arrays that will restore the station's capacity.

Updated May 30

Force in Play

Aboard ISS

NASA evacuated one crew member from the International Space Station on January 14, 2026, for a serious but stable medical condition. The SpaceX Crew Dragon carried four astronauts home six weeks early, splashing down safely off California on January 15 after 167 days in space. This ended a 25-year streak without a medical evacuation, despite predictions of one every three years.

Updated May 21