OrbitalHub

NASA dicit:

The unpiloted SpaceX Dragon cargo craft arrived at the International Space Station May 6, two days after launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Expedition 59 Flight Engineers David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Nick Hague of NASA used the Canadian-built Canadarm2 robotic arm to capture Dragon before turning the operation over to robotic ground controllers who maneuvered Dragon for its installation to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module where it was bolted into place for a month-long stay. Dragon is delivering almost three tons of supplies and scientific experiments to the orbital outpost.

Video Credit: NASA

Northrop Grumman dicit:

Northrop Grumman’s vision for the next step toward human space missions to Mars employs our flight-proven Cygnus advanced maneuvering spacecraft as a human habitat in cislunar space, the region between the Moon and Earth. In the early 2020s we would launch the initial habitat on NASA’s SLS rocket. Featuring a modular design, the habitat would serve both as a destination for crewed missions and as an unmanned testbed to prove-out the technologies needed for long-duration human space missions. The habitat is also envisioned as a base for lunar missions by international partners or commercial ventures. With additional habitation and propulsion modules, the habitat could be outfitted for a Mars pathfinder mission.

Video Credit: Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman has made significant progress in developing its new satellite life extension service. The innovative technology, a first in the industry, gives satellite operators the capability to extend the life of a healthy satellite. Northrop Grumman remains on track to introduce its in-orbit satellite servicing system with the Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1).

Video Credit: NASA Goddard

NASA dicit:

NASA is a step closer to returning astronauts to the Moon in the next five years following this successful “hot fire” test of flight engine No. 2062 on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. This April 4, 2019 test caps more than four years of testing for the RS-25 engines that will help power the first four missions of the Space Launch System rockets. It also concludes a 51-month test series that demonstrated RS-25 engines can perform at the higher power level needed to launch the super heavy-lift SLS rocket.

Video Credit: NASA

Rocket Lab dicit:

DARPA’s Radio Frequency Risk Reduction Deployment Demonstration (R3D2) mission […] intends to space-qualify a prototype reflect array antenna to improve radio communications in small spacecraft. The antenna, made of a tissue-thin Kapton membrane, packs tightly inside the small satellite for stowage during launch, before deploying to its full size of 2.25 meters in diameter once it reaches low Earth orbit. This high compaction ratio enables larger antennas in smaller satellites, enabling satellite owners to take advantage of volume-limited launch opportunities while still providing significant capability. The mission could help validate emerging concepts for a resilient sensor and data transport layer in low Earth orbit – a capability that does not exist today, but one which could revolutionize global communications by laying the groundwork for a space-based internet.

Video Credit: Rocket Lab

Updated tasks on U.S. EVA 53.

Video Credit: NASA